Not sure how many ZooChatters (particularly North Americans and Australians) have seen a polar-grizzly hybrid bear like you did at Osnabruck.Hot on the heels of American Black Bears (100 zoos) are Brown Bears, which I've seen at 92 zoos. The vast majority of these have been the Grizzly Bear subspecies, and since I already posted about how much I love bears it's fair to see that the Brown/Grizzly is my favourite. When I made a trip to Alaska in 2000, I saw a couple of enormous, scary-sized Grizzlies at the local dump, as well as a couple more who were catching salmon in the wild at a fast-flowing river. I also had an experience of seeing a mother and cub Grizzly while river rafting in British Columbia, so I've had several wild sightings but none for almost 20 years as there are no Grizzlies in southwestern B.C. where I live. Although, it would only take a drive of two hours to be deep in Grizzly country.
Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, I would visit the Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada), which at the time was the 'Berlin Tierpark' of North America with its vast ungulate collection. On almost a daily basis, the owner of the zoo (Al Oeming) would enter the Grizzly Bear exhibit and hand-feed the 3 bears that he had rescued/captured from the wild and raised from cubs. To see this happen in real life was astonishing. These were always labeled as a Swan Hills subspecies of Brown Bear, but of course there's been a load of taxonomic changes over the years for all animals. I've seen a broad variety of Brown Bear subspecies, including enormous Kodiak and Kamchatka specimens, but for this post I will mainly stick to species level examples.
Al Oeming and one of his 'pets':
I highlighted 4 zoos, all in Europe, that had another species in with their Brown Bears:
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Brown Bear – 1975
2- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Brown Bear – 1986
3- Perth Zoo (Australia) – Brown Bear – 1987
4- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Brown Bear - 1988
5- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 1994
6- Langenberg Wildlife Park (Switzerland) – Brown Bear – 2003
7- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – Brown Bear – 2005
8- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2005
9- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2006
10- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2006
11- Denver Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2006
12- B.C. Wildlife Park (Canada) – Brown Bear - 2006
13- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Brown Bear – 2007
14- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – Brown Bear – 2007
15- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – Brown Bear – 2007
16- Grouse Mountain Wildlife Refuge (Canada) – Brown Bear – 2007
17- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
18- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
19- Detroit Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
20- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Brown Bear – 2008
21- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
22- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
23- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
24- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
25- Wildlife Safari (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
26- Zoo Montana (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
27- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
28- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
29- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
30- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
31- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
32- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
33- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
34- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
35- Houston Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
36- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
37- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2011
38- Great Plains Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
39- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
40- John Ball Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
41- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
42- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
43- Pocatello Zoo/Zoo Idaho (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
44- Yellowstone Bear World (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
45- Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
46- Montana Grizzly Encounter (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
47- Bear Country U.S.A. (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
48- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
49- Roosevelt Park Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
50- Chahinkapa Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
51- Lake Superior Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
52- DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
53- Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
54- Tiger Safari (USA) – Brown Bear – 2015
55- G W Exotic Animal Park (USA) – Brown Bear – 2015
56- Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (USA) – Brown Bear – 2015
57- Out of Africa (USA) – Brown Bear - 2015
58- Reid Park Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2015
59- Keepers of the Wild Nature Park (USA) – Brown Bear – 2015
60- Discovery Wildlife Park (Canada) – Brown Bear – 2016
61- Olympic Game Farm (USA) – Brown Bear – 2016
62- Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada) – Brown Bear – 2018
63- GarLyn Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
64- Wilderness Trails Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear - 2018
65- Toledo Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
66- Washington Park Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
67- Shalom Wildlife Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
68- Animal Haven Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
69- Special Memories Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
70- Wildwood Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
71- Landgoed Hoenderdaell (Netherlands) – Brown Bear – 2019
72- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – Brown Bear – 2019
73- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Brown Bear (with American Black Bear) – 2019
74- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – Brown Bear – 2019
75- Wildpark Gangelt (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
76- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
77- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
78- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
79- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – Brown Bear – 2019
80- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Brown Bear (with Grey Wolf) – 2019
81- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
82- Olderdissen Zoo (Germany) – Brown Bear (with ‘Silver’ Fox) – 2019
83- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Hybrid Brown/Polar Bear (with ‘Silver’ Fox) – 2019
84- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
85- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Brown Bear – 2019
86- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Brown Bear – 2022
87- Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) – Brown Bear – 2022
88- Boras Zoo (Sweden) – Brown Bear – 2022
89- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Brown Bear – 2022
90- Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center (USA) – Brown Bear – 2023
91- Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2023
92- Oakland Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2023
Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) is approximately 20 minutes from my house and yet I rarely visit (maybe once a year). The highlight of the zoo would arguably be a series of bear exhibits at the back, including this 1.5-acre habitat for 'Shadow', a now elderly female Brown Bear.
The other collection of animals that I'm most familiar with would be Woodland Park Zoo (USA) in Seattle, a 5-hour roundtrip from my home. The Brown Bear exhibit there is world-famous.
Of course, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) is notable amongst zoo nerds for its stunning Grizzly Bear enclosure that must be a couple of acres in size. This zoo flies under the radar, pulling in 200,000 visitors a year for the last 30 years, never increasing attendance even though all of the exhibits are excellent.
I saw a trio of Australian zoos that all held Brown Bears at the same time, back in 2007, and yet Taronga, Melbourne and Adelaide all no longer have the species. I think that Brown Bears are actually now extinct in Australian collections, much like several other bear species in Oz. Here is the Taronga Zoo (Australia) exhibit, labeled as Bear Canyon and posted as a Kodiak Bear enclosure in the ZooChat gallery.
@Baldur
Minnesota Zoo (USA) opened Russia's Grizzly Coast in 2008 and attendance skyrocketed. Here's an example of an exhibit complex rejuvenating a zoo. After several excellent additions post-Grizzly, the zoo has stagnated since. They could use a shiny new animal complex in the near future.
@Ding Lingwei
Detroit Zoo (USA) doesn't have one of the best Brown Bear exhibits around, but nevertheless here's a great example of what a zoo can do with historic architecture. Taking a series of 1928 grottoes, that once probably held 15 to 20 bears back in their heyday, then repurposing those three grottoes (by 2008) into ONE single enclosure for Brown Bears made sense. It's quite a long exhibit and better than it ever was before.
The best thing about Zoo Montana (USA) is the zoo's Brown Bear exhibit, which is at least an acre in size. The holding quarters are obscured by the mock-rock wall in the background.
Wildwood Zoo (USA) opened a brand-new, $1.3 million exhibit for its Brown Bears (including a Kodiak) in 2015. An old grotto is connected to a fantastic forested enclosure via an overhead bridge.
North American zoos have lots of terrific Brown Bear exhibits, but of course it's only fair to highlight some really poor ones as well. Brace yourselves.
Buffalo Zoo (USA) had a sign saying 'Bear Pits' when I visited that zoo in 2010, before the old grottoes were demolished. The space available for this Brown Bear was shockingly awful as the animal had a slab of cement, an old tire and a small pool.
Not much better was the old Brown Bear grotto at San Antonio Zoo (USA) the same year. Bears can suffer joint problems from walking all their years on cement, and there are many AZA zoos with old-school grottoes that have been torn down or renovated.
My photo shows almost the entire space for two 'Syrian' Brown Bears at the now closed Special Memories Zoo (USA). A kiddie slide, a boomer ball, a hanging tire and not much else in this deplorable cage. I toured this zoo only 6 years ago, showing that there are still crap Brown Bear enclosures to be found in this day and age.
ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) has immense mock-rock walls and at least one Kamchatka subspecies specimen in its spacious Brown Bear habitat.
At Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands), there's a slice of woodland with Brown Bears and Grey Wolves that's quite superb. There's multiple viewing areas and various pathways for visitors.
@Tiger
I saw a male bear named 'Taps' at Osnabruck Zoo (Germany). He's a hybrid specimen (Brown/Polar) and a remarkable looking creature who shares his space with Red 'silver' Foxes.
And, we all know by now that other zoos of the world might as well give up when it comes to 'competing' with Scandinavian zoos to find the biggest and best exhibits for any mammals.
Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) has an immense, 6-acre (2.4 hectare) exhibit for Brown Bears that I spent a lot of time at in 2022. I suppose that one could point out it's a fairly open enclosure, but there are many trees along one side of the habitat and a large pool in the central area. Walking along the 250-meter boardwalk, I counted 7 Brown Bears all sharing the space together. (Not as many as Cabarceno's 50+ bears!)
Boras Zoo (Sweden) has another ridiculously large mammal exhibit, also for Brown Bears. It's a massive space and I took a series of photos (see the ZooChat gallery) showing one of the bears swimming around its enormous lake.
I attended a keeper feeding session for Brown Bears at Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden), and the rocky habitat there has a crashing waterfall as a highlight. It's a superb exhibit that's larger than what is shown here, with varying terrain that keeps the bears in fantastic shape. I was told that the zoo received one obese Brown Bear and within a year the animal was a lean creature due to navigating the 'highs and lows' of this habitat.
Ursidae:
American Black Bears - 100 zoos
Brown Bears - 92 zoos
Which bear species will be next? And at how many zoos? For sure, there will be a steep drop-off now...
Hot on the heels of American Black Bears (100 zoos) are Brown Bears, which I've seen at 92 zoos. The vast majority of these have been the Grizzly Bear subspecies, and since I already posted about how much I love bears it's fair to see that the Brown/Grizzly is my favourite. When I made a trip to Alaska in 2000, I saw a couple of enormous, scary-sized Grizzlies at the local dump, as well as a couple more who were catching salmon in the wild at a fast-flowing river. I also had an experience of seeing a mother and cub Grizzly while river rafting in British Columbia, so I've had several wild sightings but none for almost 20 years as there are no Grizzlies in southwestern B.C. where I live. Although, it would only take a drive of two hours to be deep in Grizzly country.
Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, I would visit the Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada), which at the time was the 'Berlin Tierpark' of North America with its vast ungulate collection. On almost a daily basis, the owner of the zoo (Al Oeming) would enter the Grizzly Bear exhibit and hand-feed the 3 bears that he had rescued/captured from the wild and raised from cubs. To see this happen in real life was astonishing. These were always labeled as a Swan Hills subspecies of Brown Bear, but of course there's been a load of taxonomic changes over the years for all animals. I've seen a broad variety of Brown Bear subspecies, including enormous Kodiak and Kamchatka specimens, but for this post I will mainly stick to species level examples.
Al Oeming and one of his 'pets':
I highlighted 4 zoos, all in Europe, that had another species in with their Brown Bears:
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Brown Bear – 1975
2- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Brown Bear – 1986
3- Perth Zoo (Australia) – Brown Bear – 1987
4- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Brown Bear - 1988
5- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 1994
6- Langenberg Wildlife Park (Switzerland) – Brown Bear – 2003
7- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – Brown Bear – 2005
8- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2005
9- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2006
10- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2006
11- Denver Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2006
12- B.C. Wildlife Park (Canada) – Brown Bear - 2006
13- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Brown Bear – 2007
14- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – Brown Bear – 2007
15- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – Brown Bear – 2007
16- Grouse Mountain Wildlife Refuge (Canada) – Brown Bear – 2007
17- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
18- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
19- Detroit Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
20- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Brown Bear – 2008
21- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
22- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
23- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
24- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2008
25- Wildlife Safari (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
26- Zoo Montana (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
27- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
28- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
29- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
30- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
31- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
32- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
33- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
34- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
35- Houston Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
36- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2010
37- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2011
38- Great Plains Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
39- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
40- John Ball Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
41- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
42- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
43- Pocatello Zoo/Zoo Idaho (USA) – Brown Bear – 2012
44- Yellowstone Bear World (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
45- Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
46- Montana Grizzly Encounter (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
47- Bear Country U.S.A. (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
48- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
49- Roosevelt Park Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
50- Chahinkapa Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
51- Lake Superior Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
52- DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
53- Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2014
54- Tiger Safari (USA) – Brown Bear – 2015
55- G W Exotic Animal Park (USA) – Brown Bear – 2015
56- Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (USA) – Brown Bear – 2015
57- Out of Africa (USA) – Brown Bear - 2015
58- Reid Park Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2015
59- Keepers of the Wild Nature Park (USA) – Brown Bear – 2015
60- Discovery Wildlife Park (Canada) – Brown Bear – 2016
61- Olympic Game Farm (USA) – Brown Bear – 2016
62- Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada) – Brown Bear – 2018
63- GarLyn Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
64- Wilderness Trails Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear - 2018
65- Toledo Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
66- Washington Park Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
67- Shalom Wildlife Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
68- Animal Haven Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
69- Special Memories Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
70- Wildwood Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2018
71- Landgoed Hoenderdaell (Netherlands) – Brown Bear – 2019
72- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – Brown Bear – 2019
73- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Brown Bear (with American Black Bear) – 2019
74- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – Brown Bear – 2019
75- Wildpark Gangelt (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
76- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
77- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
78- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
79- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – Brown Bear – 2019
80- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Brown Bear (with Grey Wolf) – 2019
81- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
82- Olderdissen Zoo (Germany) – Brown Bear (with ‘Silver’ Fox) – 2019
83- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Hybrid Brown/Polar Bear (with ‘Silver’ Fox) – 2019
84- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) – Brown Bear – 2019
85- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Brown Bear – 2019
86- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Brown Bear – 2022
87- Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) – Brown Bear – 2022
88- Boras Zoo (Sweden) – Brown Bear – 2022
89- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Brown Bear – 2022
90- Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center (USA) – Brown Bear – 2023
91- Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2023
92- Oakland Zoo (USA) – Brown Bear – 2023
Ursidae:
American Black Bears - 100 zoos
Brown Bears - 92 zoos
Which bear species will be next? And at how many zoos? For sure, there will be a steep drop-off now...
Very glad that these were replaced prior to my first Buffalo Zoo visit! The decline of the bear pits in recent years has been one of the best, and most sorely needed, trends in US zoos.Buffalo Zoo (USA) had a sign saying 'Bear Pits' when I visited that zoo in 2010, before the old grottoes were demolished. The space available for this Brown Bear was shockingly awful as the animal had a slab of cement, an old tire and a small pool.
Yes, that is correct. Three subspecies were kept this century. The three Kodiak Bears (1.2) were imported by Adelaide in 1978, then moved to Taronga in 1985. They died in 2005, 2008, and 2012 respectively. The last Syrian Brown Bear (formerly relatively common) died at Melbourne Zoo in 2016. The last Brown Bears in Australia were 3 European Brown Bears at the National Zoo in Canberra, the last of whom died in 2018. The only bears now left in Australia (apart from a pair of Giant Pandas at Adelaide and a few Polar Bears at Seaworld Gold Coast), are Sun Bears, and they are being phased out. We have speculated that Sloth Bears may become the next focus species, but this in no way confirmed.
The Los Angeles Zoo no longer has any American black bears after 25-year-old Ranger passed away in 2022. Here is an interesting article about how Ranger came to live at the zoo after being born wild in Minnesota: L.A. ZOO MOURNS THE LOSS OF ICONIC AMERICAN BLACK BEAR RANGER - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical GardensI love bears. Ever since I was a kid, and continuing all through my life, I've been a fan of bears. It's been fascinating to see the evolution of zoo exhibits when it comes to the 8 bear species of the world. Small, chain-link cages and old-fashioned grottoes have steadily been replaced by mini forests and modern, diverse habitats with varying terrain. Part of my love for bears has been because I was born and raised in Canada, and other than 2.5 years in Australia I have lived my whole life in Canada. This is a nation where bears are iconic, literally everywhere when it comes to TV advertisements, coins, nature documentaries and other publications. We see American Black Bears in our backyard a couple of times each year and I've seen this species at exactly 100 zoos.
The top 3 years when I had almost 50% of my American Black Bear sightings:
2008 = 14 zoos
2014 = 15 zoos
2015 = 20 zoos
Contrast that trio of bear-heavy years with my trips to Europe in 2019 and 2022, when I saw American Black Bears at only 4 zoos out of 120. (There's certainly some strong parallels with Coyotes, another species I've had in my forested backyard on a number of occasions)
I've noted 7 exhibits where American Black Bears shared space with other species:
1- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – American Black Bear – 1975
2- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – American Black Bear – 1986
3- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – American Black Bear (with Grey Wolf) - 1988
4- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – American Black Bear – 2005
5- B.C. Wildlife Park (Canada) – American Black Bear – 2006
6- Oregon Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2007
7- Lincoln Park Zoo- Illinois (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
8- Detroit Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
9- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
10- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
11- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
12- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
13- Memphis Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
14- Knoxville Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
15- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
16- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear (with Red Fox) – 2008
17- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
18- Los Angeles Zoo (USA)- American Black Bear – 2008
19- Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (USA) – American Black Bear – 2008
20- Wildlife Safari (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
21- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
22- Tulsa Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
23- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
24- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
25- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
26- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
27- Montgomery Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
28- Audubon Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
29- Cameron Park Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
30- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2010
31- CALM (California Living Museum) (USA) – American Black Bear (with Red Fox) – 2011
32- Great Plains Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2012
33- Erie Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2012
34- Busch Wildlife Sanctuary (USA) – American Black Bear – 2012
35- Palm Beach Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2012
36- Naples Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2012
37- ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) – American Black Bear – 2012
38- Jackson Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2012
39- Dickerson Park Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2012
40- Topeka Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2012
41- Pocatello Zoo/Zoo Idaho (USA) – American Black Bear – 2012
42- Cat Tales Zoological Park (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
43- Yellowstone Bear World (USA) – American Black Bear (with Grey Wolf) – 2014
44- Bear Country U.S.A. (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
45- Bramble Park Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
46- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
47- Pine Grove Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
48- Irvine Park & Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
49- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
50- DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
51- Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
52- Ochsner Park Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
53- Wildlife Prairie Park (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
54- Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
55- Clay Center Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
56- Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2014
57- Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
58- Tiger Safari (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
59- G W Exotic Animal Park (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
60- Amarillo Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
61- Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
62- Caldwell Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
63- Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari (USA) – American Black Bear (with Olive Baboon & Rhesus Macaque!!) – 2015
64- Alexandria Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
65- Houston Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
66- Austin Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
67- Abilene Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
68- Hillcrest Park Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
69- Spring River Park & Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
70- Living Desert Zoo – New Mexico (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
71- Alameda Park Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
72- Wildlife West Nature Park (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
73- Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
74- Out of Africa (USA) – American Black Bear - 2015
75- Bearizona (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
76- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – American Black Bear – 2015
77- Discovery Wildlife Park (Canada) – American Black Bear – 2016
78- North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre (Canada) – American Black Bear – 2016
79- Olympic Game Farm (USA) – American Black Bear – 2016
80- Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary (USA) – American Black Bear – 2017
81- Monterey Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2017
82- Applegate Park Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2017
83- Orange County Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2017
84- Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary (USA) – American Black Bear – 2017
85- Border City Petting Zoo (Canada) – American Black Bear – 2018
86- North American Bear Center (USA) – American Black Bear – 2018
87- Wilderness Walk Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2018
88- Oswald’s Bear Ranch (USA) – American Black Bear – 2018
89- Wilderness Trails Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear - 2018
90- Bear Den Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2018
91- Animal Haven Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2018
92- Special Memories Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2018
93- Zollman Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2018
94- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – American Black Bear (with Brown Bear) – 2019
95- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – American Black Bear – 2019
96- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – American Black Bear – 2019
97- Ree Park Safari (Denmark) – American Black Bear (with American Bison) – 2022
98- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – American Black Bear – 2023
99- Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2023
100- Oakland Zoo (USA) – American Black Bear – 2023
What are some of my most memorable sightings of American Black Bears in zoos? To start, it would be vital to mention Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) and its slice of woodland.
B.C. Wildlife Park (Canada) rescued 'Clover' from the wild as an abandoned cub in 2012 and after two attempts to rehabilitate him back to the wild failed, built a 2.7-acre (1.09 hectare) habitat and heavily promoted the fact that the zoo has the only Kermode Bear in the world in captivity. There is a lot of Indigenous curriculum in B.C.'s high schools, and this subspecies of the American Black Bear is called a Spirit Bear by many communities. 'Clover' has been living with 'Tuk', an American Black Bear with a regular black coat, for several years.
Seeing an American Black Bear at Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) in 2008 was memorable for all the wrong reasons, with a cement slab being home to the animal. A series of 3 or 4 bear grottoes that were at the zoo then have all since closed down. That is a trend with zoos across the globe when it comes to these old concrete grottoes and I could list loads of examples but it would be too depressing.
Zoo Knoxville's (USA) Black Bear Falls has been a divisive exhibit over the years. It's not as debatable as Indianapolis Zoo's Orangutan Spaceship or Chimpanzee Oil Derrick, but Knoxville has a LOT of mock-rock in an exhibit that is not as large as it could be. The flip side is that there's quite a bit of arboreal options and whenever people have visited it seems that the American Black Bears are active and utilizing the space provided to them.
@Moebelle
Speaking of mock-rock, the American Black Bear exhibit at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA) also probably doesn't hold up quite as well as it used to. The trend for modern bear habitats is to incorporate far more natural substrate into the environment.
@TheoV
Unfortunately, there has been some diabolical bear enclosures that I've come across in American zoos. I saw two pacing bears at Erie Zoo (USA) in 2012 and thankfully the zoo rectified the situation by eventually overhauling this whole section. But how many American Black Bears went insane over many decades before a renovation occurred?
It was distressing to walk into Clay Center Zoo (USA) in 2014, not previously having any expectations about what I would see, and finding a pacing American Black Bear on a cement slab in this hellhole:
At Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari (USA) in 2015, I saw a couple of American Black Bears, a pair of Rhesus Macaques and at least one 'Western Brown Baboon' (Olive Baboon) all together in this ramshackle cage. Later on, I found out that a number of my ZooChat photos were used in a document to help close this zoo down. It's happened before, where I've documented a zoo that no one else on this site has ever been to and then a few years later the place has closed down and my photos have ended up aiding the cause without my knowledge. That makes me feel good, but I am always curious as to what becomes of the animals at these roadside menageries. Obviously no one wishes to see animals in deplorable conditions, but visiting decrepit zoos once (and taking copious amounts of photos) has occasionally aided in shutting them down. How else does word spread about junky zoos in otherwise rich nations?
On a side note, there must be 15 old tires in that cage!
Here are two American Black Bears (and a kiddie slide!) in this cement hellhole at the now closed Special Memories Zoo (USA):
Bear Country U.S.A. (USA) had at least 50-60 American Black Bears all together in the drive-through section of the park when I was there in 2014. At that time, the zoo had close to 90 bears in total, many with 'cinnamon colour phase' coats, in a variety of enclosures.
@Milwaukee Man
Plus they had loads of bear cubs:
Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) has a new-ish exhibit for American Black Bears that is a sandy desert, both on the upper level and in the deep moat. A total bust. What could the zoo do with this space if they ever went out of bears?
On a more positive note, the North American Bear Center (USA) has a 2.5-acre exhibit for a handful of American Black Bears that is superb.
One of the nicer exhibits at Topeka Zoo (USA) is Black Bear Woods:
Here are two of my images from my visit to the extraordinary Pairi Daiza (Belgium) zoo, one of the world's most popular zoological facilities with more than 2 million annual visitors way out in the Belgian countryside. I saw American Black Bears and Brown Bears together there.
Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) has an excellent American Black Bear exhibit in its Manitoba section:
Then there's Ree Park Safari (Denmark), with American Black Bears in a massive habitat that includes American Bison. Safari Parc Peaugres (France) has had the same combination in the past.
@korhoen
Ree Park Safari has also had the bears in with Grey Wolves as well. Here they are at a feeding session:
@Toddy
) 
I find it interesting that so many new polar bear exhibits have been built in the US over the last 15 years yet only a handful of them seem to be especially impressive. For the most part they're just fine, but are often too small and enclosed. Detroit, Columbus and North Carolina are the strongest by far, although San Diego's much older exhibit has held up surprisingly well and is due for an expansion soon. None of them hold a candle to the space provided at many European collections however, especially Yorkshire, Highland Wildlife Park, Scandinavian Wildlife Park, and formerly Orsa Bear Park (RIPThe third most common bear species I've come across in zoos is the Polar Bear at 47 zoos. Gone are the days when the Alberta Game Farm would capture 6 young bears from the wild and toss them all together in an exhibit, or zoos would have pacing bears on cement slab grottoes. Now, the emphasis, especially in Europe where it seems all the great ideas begin, is to have Polar Bears with dirty white/brown coats gallivanting across lush meadows. How times have changed.
Literally more than 50% of all the North American zoos on this list no longer have Polar Bears. Gone baby gone. The population is much healthier across Europe, with far more zoos supporting the species.
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Polar Bear – 1975
2- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Polar Bear – 1986
3- Stanley Park Zoo (Canada) – Polar Bear – 1986
4- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2005
5- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2005
6- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2006
7- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2006
8- SeaWorld San Diego (USA) – Polar Bear – 2006
9- Denver Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2006
10- Lincoln Park Zoo- Illinois (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
11- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
12- Toledo Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
13- Detroit Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
14- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
15- Central Park Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
16- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
17- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
18- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
19- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
20- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
21- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
22- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
23- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
24- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
25- Maryland Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
26- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
27- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
28- Reid Park Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2011
29- Erie Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2012
30- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2012
31- Como Park Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2014
32- Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) – Polar Bear – 2018
33- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – Polar Bear – 2019
34- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – Polar Bear – 2019
35- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Polar Bear – 2019
36- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – Polar Bear – 2019
37- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – Polar Bear – 2019
38- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Polar Bear – 2019
39- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Polar Bear – 2019
40- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Polar Bear– 2019
41- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Polar Bear – 2019
42- Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) – Polar Bear – 2019
43- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Hybrid Brown/Polar Bear (with ‘Silver’ Fox) – 2019
44- Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) – Polar Bear – 2019
45- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Polar Bear – 2022
46- Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) – Polar Bear – 2022
47- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) –Polar Bear – 2022
It's fascinating to note that Point Defiance Zoo (USA) (temporarily), Calgary Zoo (Canada) and Oregon Zoo (USA) all went out of Polar Bears only to eventually bring them back. The Point Defiance early 1980s exhibit is way too small, Calgary's new one seems superb, and Oregon's is functional and utilitarian:
When I first visited San Francisco Zoo (USA), the old Polar Bear grotto had a bear that would suck on its paw. There was even a sign up about it. Now that area has been turned into a Grey (Mexican) Wolf exhibit. Here's the 'paw sucker':
It's not the largest Polar Bear exhibit out there, but the enclosure at San Diego Zoo (USA) has a surprising amount of enrichment such as a deep pool, floating objects to play with, varying terrain, and natural substrate.
Is there any zoo in North America that has had as amazing a breeding record for Polar Bears as Toledo Zoo (USA)? It's interesting, as the exhibit is 90% mock-rock and arguably quite outdated in today's zoo world, yet the animals breed there.
As wonderful as they are, how can the exhibits at places such as Highland Wildlife Park (UK) and Yorkshire Wildlife Park (UK) have the sense of awe as seeing a swimming Polar Bear underwater at Detroit Zoo's (USA) Arctic Ring of Life? (For the record, I love the new UK bear exhibits and that's the wave of the future)
@pachyderm pro
Detroit Zoo's tundra/pack ice enclosure:
@Moebelle
Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) also has an underwater viewing area that comes with a tunnel, but this exhibit is not great for Polar Bears due to the small mock-rock blob that they exist on. It's very much like the enclosure at Tierpark Hagenbeck, therefore disgracefully tiny!
@geomorph
Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) used to have Harbor Seals in the foreground and Polar Bears in the background of their mock-rock heaven that showcased a predator/prey relationship. Milwaukee is one of half the zoos in the nation to phase-out Polar Bears. These animals are costly to maintain in captivity and the reproduction record in American zoos is terrible.
@geomorph
Buffalo Zoo's (USA) 'Polar Bear Pit' is similar to countless old grottoes in American zoos that have gone the way of the Dodo Bird. This is what I saw in 2010:
The 50% of North American zoos that have kept Polar Bears in their collection have, for the most part, significantly upgraded the space available to the massive Arctic mammals. North Carolina Zoo (USA) is stellar everywhere, including with their bears. Look at this gorgeous habitat:
@Pleistohorse
Then there's Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada). I was blown away by their almost $100 million (Canadian) Journey to Churchill Arctic complex when I visited in 2018. They had 11 Polar Bears and technically 6 Polar Bear exhibits.
This vast rolling tundra had 6 Polar Bears all together:
The underwater tunnel zone was magnificent. My photo is almost eerie in the way the bear appears to be floating, but it was standing on the acrylic.
Off to Europe, where I saw 15 zoos with Polar Bears and the species is thriving far more than it is in North America. More zoos, higher quality exhibits, better reproduction rates, etc. Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) exemplifies modern Polar Bear husbandry. There's an old grotto that is obviously mostly cement and outdated:
But connected to it is a forested environment. What the heck? I saw one Polar Bear in the old-fashioned exhibit, but there were two in the grassy yard and you can see those somewhat dirty bears in this image. It was my first time ever seeing bears in this sort of an exhibit.
While at the excellent ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany), I saw 'Antonia', a "Dwarf" Polar Bear who was born with genetic hormone deficiencies. She was living alone and apart from the other bears in an adjacent exhibit when I visited the zoo in 2019. As you can tell from this photo, her limbs are incredibly short.
@Javan Rhino
Easily the very best zone at Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) is Yukon Bay, with its terrific Polar Bear exhibit. Every zoo nerd loves this habitat and it's a perfect example of having a heavily-themed area be successful. (We won't mention the penguins
A Canadian mining company is the setting, and this Polar Bear habitat has a wave machine that churns the water with ocean-like waves. There's a huge crane (just outside this image and to the right) that can lower food via a massive net. A rocky, forested region is at the back, with sandy areas and underwater viewing. It's Hannover's crowning achievement. The wave machine alone, so much more common in European zoos, is stunning. I saw it in use in many pinniped pools in Europe and the water is completely different when the machine is turned on.
Both photos via @Daniel Sörensen
Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) has a 6-acre (2.4 hectare) exhibit for Polar Bears that is magnificent. When there is a feeding session, visitors can congregate here to get a better glimpse of the bears.
That white bundle of fur on the shoreline is a sleeping Polar Bear next to a vast lake:
A second, smaller field-type exhibit (maybe 'only' an acre in size), held a female Polar Bear and two cubs. A few visitors petted the paws of one of the cubs through the fence.
Ursidae:
American Black Bears - 100 zoos
Brown Bears - 92 zoos
Polar Bears - 47 zoos
). The vast, open spaces are far superior to the many mock-rock infested exhibits in the US, although the lack of up-close underwater viewing is arguably a detriment to the visitor experience in many instances.
Could you do a list (like you did with the elephants) where you mention the zoos who have phased-out their polar bears?The third most common bear species I've come across in zoos is the Polar Bear at 47 zoos. Gone are the days when the Alberta Game Farm would capture 6 young bears from the wild and toss them all together in an exhibit, or zoos would have pacing bears on cement slab grottoes. Now, the emphasis, especially in Europe where it seems all the great ideas begin, is to have Polar Bears with dirty white/brown coats gallivanting across lush meadows. How times have changed.
Literally more than 50% of all the North American zoos on this list no longer have Polar Bears. Gone baby gone. The population is much healthier across Europe, with far more zoos supporting the species.
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Polar Bear – 1975
2- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Polar Bear – 1986
3- Stanley Park Zoo (Canada) – Polar Bear – 1986
4- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2005
5- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2005
6- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2006
7- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2006
8- SeaWorld San Diego (USA) – Polar Bear – 2006
9- Denver Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2006
10- Lincoln Park Zoo- Illinois (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
11- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
12- Toledo Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
13- Detroit Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
14- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
15- Central Park Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
16- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
17- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
18- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
19- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
20- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2008
21- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
22- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
23- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
24- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
25- Maryland Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
26- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
27- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2010
28- Reid Park Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2011
29- Erie Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2012
30- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2012
31- Como Park Zoo (USA) – Polar Bear – 2014
32- Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) – Polar Bear – 2018
33- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – Polar Bear – 2019
34- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – Polar Bear – 2019
35- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Polar Bear – 2019
36- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – Polar Bear – 2019
37- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – Polar Bear – 2019
38- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Polar Bear – 2019
39- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Polar Bear – 2019
40- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Polar Bear– 2019
41- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Polar Bear – 2019
42- Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) – Polar Bear – 2019
43- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Hybrid Brown/Polar Bear (with ‘Silver’ Fox) – 2019
44- Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) – Polar Bear – 2019
45- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Polar Bear – 2022
46- Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) – Polar Bear – 2022
47- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) –Polar Bear – 2022
It's fascinating to note that Point Defiance Zoo (USA) (temporarily), Calgary Zoo (Canada) and Oregon Zoo (USA) all went out of Polar Bears only to eventually bring them back. The Point Defiance early 1980s exhibit is way too small, Calgary's new one seems superb, and Oregon's is functional and utilitarian:
When I first visited San Francisco Zoo (USA), the old Polar Bear grotto had a bear that would suck on its paw. There was even a sign up about it. Now that area has been turned into a Grey (Mexican) Wolf exhibit. Here's the 'paw sucker':
It's not the largest Polar Bear exhibit out there, but the enclosure at San Diego Zoo (USA) has a surprising amount of enrichment such as a deep pool, floating objects to play with, varying terrain, and natural substrate.
Is there any zoo in North America that has had as amazing a breeding record for Polar Bears as Toledo Zoo (USA)? It's interesting, as the exhibit is 90% mock-rock and arguably quite outdated in today's zoo world, yet the animals breed there.
As wonderful as they are, how can the exhibits at places such as Highland Wildlife Park (UK) and Yorkshire Wildlife Park (UK) have the sense of awe as seeing a swimming Polar Bear underwater at Detroit Zoo's (USA) Arctic Ring of Life? (For the record, I love the new UK bear exhibits and that's the wave of the future)
@pachyderm pro
Detroit Zoo's tundra/pack ice enclosure:
@Moebelle
Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) also has an underwater viewing area that comes with a tunnel, but this exhibit is not great for Polar Bears due to the small mock-rock blob that they exist on. It's very much like the enclosure at Tierpark Hagenbeck, therefore disgracefully tiny!
@geomorph
Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) used to have Harbor Seals in the foreground and Polar Bears in the background of their mock-rock heaven that showcased a predator/prey relationship. Milwaukee is one of half the zoos in the nation to phase-out Polar Bears. These animals are costly to maintain in captivity and the reproduction record in American zoos is terrible.
@geomorph
Buffalo Zoo's (USA) 'Polar Bear Pit' is similar to countless old grottoes in American zoos that have gone the way of the Dodo Bird. This is what I saw in 2010:
The 50% of North American zoos that have kept Polar Bears in their collection have, for the most part, significantly upgraded the space available to the massive Arctic mammals. North Carolina Zoo (USA) is stellar everywhere, including with their bears. Look at this gorgeous habitat:
@Pleistohorse
Then there's Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada). I was blown away by their almost $100 million (Canadian) Journey to Churchill Arctic complex when I visited in 2018. They had 11 Polar Bears and technically 6 Polar Bear exhibits.
This vast rolling tundra had 6 Polar Bears all together:
The underwater tunnel zone was magnificent. My photo is almost eerie in the way the bear appears to be floating, but it was standing on the acrylic.
Off to Europe, where I saw 15 zoos with Polar Bears and the species is thriving far more than it is in North America. More zoos, higher quality exhibits, better reproduction rates, etc. Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) exemplifies modern Polar Bear husbandry. There's an old grotto that is obviously mostly cement and outdated:
But connected to it is a forested environment. What the heck? I saw one Polar Bear in the old-fashioned exhibit, but there were two in the grassy yard and you can see those somewhat dirty bears in this image. It was my first time ever seeing bears in this sort of an exhibit.
While at the excellent ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany), I saw 'Antonia', a "Dwarf" Polar Bear who was born with genetic hormone deficiencies. She was living alone and apart from the other bears in an adjacent exhibit when I visited the zoo in 2019. As you can tell from this photo, her limbs are incredibly short.
@Javan Rhino
Easily the very best zone at Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) is Yukon Bay, with its terrific Polar Bear exhibit. Every zoo nerd loves this habitat and it's a perfect example of having a heavily-themed area be successful. (We won't mention the penguins
A Canadian mining company is the setting, and this Polar Bear habitat has a wave machine that churns the water with ocean-like waves. There's a huge crane (just outside this image and to the right) that can lower food via a massive net. A rocky, forested region is at the back, with sandy areas and underwater viewing. It's Hannover's crowning achievement. The wave machine alone, so much more common in European zoos, is stunning. I saw it in use in many pinniped pools in Europe and the water is completely different when the machine is turned on.
Both photos via @Daniel Sörensen
Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) has a 6-acre (2.4 hectare) exhibit for Polar Bears that is magnificent. When there is a feeding session, visitors can congregate here to get a better glimpse of the bears.
That white bundle of fur on the shoreline is a sleeping Polar Bear next to a vast lake:
A second, smaller field-type exhibit (maybe 'only' an acre in size), held a female Polar Bear and two cubs. A few visitors petted the paws of one of the cubs through the fence.
Ursidae:
American Black Bears - 100 zoos
Brown Bears - 92 zoos
Polar Bears - 47 zoos
Toronto Zoo is my favorite polar bear exhibit I've seen, as despite Arctic Ring of Life at Detroit being larger Toronto's exhibit still provides all of the excellent features that Detroit does (multiple spaces, large grassy areas, giving the animals lots of choices, etc.), yet due to having a larger group of bears and more viewing opportunities it is easier to see the bears, making it a better experience for visitors too. Other than the soon-to-be-former wood bison exhibit, Toronto's Tundra Trek was actually my favorite section of the zoo!
Detroit Zoo is a really interesting exhibit. While it's certainly great for the bears, it's a shame that the exhibit only houses two bears at the moment, as they certainly have the space to have more adult bears, ensuring that visitors will be able to see polar bears in an exhibit known for its hit-or-miss visibility. It doesn't help that there's a lack of other species in Arctic Ring of Life to create an interesting experience on a bear-free visit either, ideally the zoo would bring back Arctic foxes and consider adding in other side exhibits for species such as snowy owls.As wonderful as they are, how can the exhibits at places such as Highland Wildlife Park (UK) and Yorkshire Wildlife Park (UK) have the sense of awe as seeing a swimming Polar Bear underwater at Detroit Zoo's (USA) Arctic Ring of Life? (For the record, I love the new UK bear exhibits and that's the wave of the future)
@pachyderm pro
Detroit Zoo's tundra/pack ice enclosure:
@Moebelle
Luckily, this section of Buffalo Zoo now looks like this:Buffalo Zoo's (USA) 'Polar Bear Pit' is similar to countless old grottoes in American zoos that have gone the way of the Dodo Bird. This is what I saw in 2010:
I can only assume maybe because the lighter patches of fur on the faces of the bears don’t always form a shape resembling glasses, AKA spectacles? Nonetheless, spectacled bear is definitely the term I still prefer to use for them as I generally think naming an animal after a physical attribute is more interesting than naming it after its place of geographic origin.
Someone else may know more, but I have always heard that being the only bear native to South America, the name change effort was started as a way to garner pride for the bear amongst the local peoples and encourage them to want to protect it because it is uniquely “theirs”.
I use them both interchangeably, and I don't think I favor one over the other.
Andean bear is supposed to be the proper name for obvious reasons (the location). It is nicknamed the spectacled bear because it has circles of cream-colored fur around its eyes, which make it look like it’s wearing glasses (the British term for glasses is spectacles). The two names are interchangeable to my knowledge. As for the dogs, Painted Dog and African Wild Dog are also interchangeable names for the species.