Taronga Zoo Bethyl the bear turns 34

Ah, good old Bethyl, she is such an old girl. Is she one of the oldest Kodiaks in the world?

Happy Birthday Bethyl!!!
 
If not the Oldest, do they have any plans of filling the exhibit when she goes? I remember hearing somewhere that they did?
 
Is this Bethyl? I took this photo in February 1989.
 

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NathanRGMan said:
If not the Oldest, do they have any plans of filling the exhibit when she goes? I remember hearing somewhere that they did?
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They plan to place the Sun Bears in her exhibit once shepasses away and moving the lions to the former Sun Bear exhibit, leaving the tigers with 2 exhibits so both the male and the female can still be on show when they are not breeding.
 
That Sun Bear enclosure, which was built for jaguars, would only be a stop-gap exhibit for lions I would hope! It would be better for (more) snow leopards. There's hardly a level ground surface in the whole enclosure.

Why not a completely new enclosure for lions, please?
 
mstickmanp said:
well, in the video I think the keeper mentions that she has been at the zoo since 1995, so if you took that photo in 1989 at the zoo then it is not her.
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Bethyl came to Taronga from Adelaide Zoo in 1985
 
That's an interesting photo - it was taken in Bear Canyon (where the red pandas are now on display), but I don't recall the Kodiaks ever being down there.

As for whether it's Bethyl or not, the bear in the photo has both ears, but I can't remember when Bethyl lost hers.

:p

Hix
 
mstickmanp said:
Oops, my bad, I thought I heard her say 1995...
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she may have done, I don't get sound on this computer so haven't watched the video. But there are numerous internet sites discussing Bethyl (every year there are news releases about one of the oldest Kodiaks in the world having a birthday ;)), so if she did say 1995 it would have been a slip of the tongue I guess
 
Also for interest, taken in 1989 (but 5 months after the bear photo), here is one of a Jaguar eating in the current sun bear enclosure. Quality not great on these as I am scanning old photos.
 

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doesn't seem a very safe enclosure to keep a jaguar contained I would have thought!
 
UrMumzAGoat said:
They plan to place the Sun Bears in her exhibit once shepasses away and moving the lions to the former Sun Bear exhibit, leaving the tigers with 2 exhibits so both the male and the female can still be on show when they are not breeding.
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the plans have changed dramatically since this
 
Chlidonias said:
doesn't seem a very safe enclosure to keep a jaguar contained I would have thought!
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It is safe, completely enclosed. Was originally built for jaguars, but has probably had sun bears in it more than any other species.

:p

Hix
 
torie said:
the plans have changed dramatically since this
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Any chance of an elaboration on this statement?

Its a bit mean to throw out such a tantalising piece of information and not give us any details :), although I understand you may not be able to.
 
zooboy28 said:
Any chance of an elaboration on this statement?

Its a bit mean to throw out such a tantalising piece of information and not give us any details :), although I understand you may not be able to.
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My guess (that may not be factual) is an extension of the elephant exhibit or Phase 2 of Wild Asia
 
I hope not... Although Asia is a great place, but due to our import laws we can't get anything interesting from it :(
 
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