I was actually fairly impressed but realise that it is a thing of the 80s of course. I have had better underwater views of Polar Bears, such as at Lincoln Park Zoo and Sea World Gold Coast in Australia. It was clean and the structure is not showing its age as much as many others.
Another is the concrete; while some may think this grey colour is cold and unattractive, another colour would have ruined the overall 'Polar' impression of the Northern Shores. The signage 'UNDER THE POLAR SEA' also worked well for me.
oh actually , I take it back I thought it was more modern than the 80s but the concrete looks in fairly good condition for that age , I thought it was early 2000s . I would of expected that horrible brown drippy look .
Although to be honest If I was asked to design a polar bear exhibit I would steer clear of concrete completely .
Can you tell me if the tank is aquascaped ? or is it just a pit with some water in ?
There are just Polar Bears in this exhibit but In Northern Shores there are Harbor Seals, California Sea Lion, NA Otter, Arctic Fox, and plenty of Waterfowl native to that area.
I'm not sure if I understand the word 'aquascaped' (English is not my first language) but it is far from being a pit. I actually uploaded several photos that should give an exact impression of the entire main exhibit.
There are two exhibits, one for each bear (at least they were separated at the time of my visit). One is more of a concrete thing, with very limited land space it seemed (viewing is not great and through glass) and I didn't like it.
I was more impressed by the main exhibit. While it could use some natural grass or soil to dig in, it has good water at least. It is also interestingly long. The bear is also provided with enrichment via a 'shipwreck'. Check out my photos, they'll explain this better than my words ever could.
