Meaghan Edwards
Well-Known Member
Excellent, positive article 
By Brad Frenette, National Post
“The polar bears are very active this morning,” observes Betty Metcalf, a long-time Toronto Zoo volunteer. It’s a cold but sunny morning, and the zoo’s three bears — eight-year-old twin sisters Nikita and Aurora, and a six-year-old male named Inukshuk — are splashing icy water on each other in their new, state-of-the-art habitat, the Toronto Zoo’s 10-acre Tundra Trek exhibit, which opened in August. And now, as the cold settles into Toronto’s Rouge Valley, the bears, rescued orphans recently returned to the zoo, appear to be feeling at home.
Zoo activity slows down in early winter. The summer rush has passed, and the water park and other hot-weather attractions have long closed. Even so, school groups of young children excitedly clamour through the Trek, surrounding Metcalf’s “learning table,” a wheeled cart that looks much like a small, travelling, curio case direct from the Arctic. On it, a polar bear skull, a severed paw, a camper’s steel pot mangled by a rogue bear and an array of polar bear teeth. The table’s big draw, however, is a metre-square flap of polar bear skin and fur.
“Do you know what colour their skin is?” the retired teacher asks the children assembled.
One pint-sized inquisitor pipes up, answering with a query of his own: “I have a question: How did you find this?”
Metcalf replies with a tender tone: “Well, some die of old age here.”
The child nods, and the volunteer continues. “Look at the bear’s nose. That’s the colour of his skin. The answer is black.”
Dr. Bill Rapley, Toronto Zoo’s executive director of conservation, education and research, watches the scene with a grandfatherly smile.
“We want to get kids here to see animals and plants, to see natural habitats, get them engaged,” he explains. “I’ve been here 29 years; we’ve had all kinds of kids that have become biologists, veterinarians. It’s incredible what happens.”
Rapley and his team at the zoo worked with such organizations as World Wildlife Fund and Polar Bear International on the $12.5-million project, and hope that Tundra Trek — the first phase of a planned four-stage North Zoo redevelopment — will help draw attendance during the zoo’s slow season, as well as raise awareness about the plight of polar bears in a changing Arctic landscape. To coincide with the return of the bears, the zoo has even embraced Twitter, developing a page (PolarTweets.com) where, Rapley says, “kids can log on, to send messages on behalf of the bears.”
Rapley is clearly proud of how the Trek turned out. He describes in passionate detail how the habitat was built to be flexible: Keepers can separate the bears, if need be — an important factor when dealing with multiple creatures. And there’s room to grow, with space for up to six adult bears.
Rapley forecasts what the colder months will bring for the trio of bears: “Some ice will form in the pools. [The bears] will be given some treats in the water — novel food items like blocks of ice with vegetables in them. We have protocols based on research done in San Diego Zoo — we vary the food and the times. It’s so much better than what we used to have here.”
Robert Buchanan, CEO of Polar Bears International, shares Rapley’s enthusiasm, calling the Trek “a hallmark in the world of polar bears.”
Like Rapley, he hopes that visitors will be engaged by the new space: “These types of mega-exhibits are extremely important in the world of conservation. They not only allow people the opportunity to see Canada’s iconic species but provide education pertaining to the polar bear and its habitat. In addition, programs that create mentoring of stewardship are firmly integrated to help Canadians and the world understand how they as individuals can save this species. Without ice, polar bears cannot hunt, breed or, in most cases, den. Without Canada’s leadership to save this habitat, it will be difficult for the rest of the world to care. To have future generations talk about them as we do the dinosaurs would be a tragedy.”
Bill Peters, national director of the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) echoes Buchanan’s sentiments: “Tundra Trek is an outstanding example of the ability of zoos to bring vital information about animals and their habitats to the attention of Canadians,” he says. “It is particularly relevant, given the changes occurring in Canada’s Arctic and the impact of those changes on habitat and species.”
While the bears are undoubtedly the main attraction, the Tundra Trek also endeavours to tell a more complete story of the north — one that provides information about the people who live there through presentations of Inuit culture and design as well as interpretive programs.”
“I’ve been to Churchill, we went to Peawanuck [a Northern Ontario First Nations community], and we went to Fort Severn, where bears have come in the past,” Rapley says of the research stages of the Trek. “We’re going to have carvings here, sculptures, Inuit art on display. [Inuit leaders] are part of our planning committee, and we engage the people of the North. If you want a conservation program, you have to have indigenous people onside. They are being affected by global change dramatically.”
The Trek also holds other circumpolar wildlife — including arctic foxes, reindeer and arctic wolves — and can serve as a rescue centre. With a shifting Arctic landscape, Rapley believes the zoo can extend its mission of conservation: “If a small group of caribou need to be placed in captivity, we can do that in our valley.”
On the subject of climate change, Rapley takes a moment to recall the changes closer to home.
“Back in the early ’80s, we used to have cross-country skiing. We used to get lots of snow. Last year, we had a bit, but we can’t run cross-country skiing.”
With or without snow, Cynthia Shipley, the zoo’s marketing manager, says there are enough special events to keep visitors occupied this winter. On Dec. 26, for example, there’s the annual Christmas Treats Walk. Now in its 34th year, the event brings visitors on a guided tour of the zoo to watch as “seasonal treats” are handed out to several of the animals.
“It’s a beloved tradition for a lot of families,” Shipley remarks.
Another annual favourite is the New Year’s Eve festivities. “You can’t find anything else like this in Toronto. It’s the only time of the year you can see animals in a nighttime setting. You can stay till 9 p.m., with a kids countdown.”
While things do slow in winter, the cold weather brings out the best in some of the zoo’s inhabitants: “The tigers, camels and the reindeer enjoy the cold. And the wolves look stunning.”
And when the ice comes — and, climate change aside, it will — the zoo takes procautions for all species, salting and sanding pathways for visitors, and ensuring that the animals that remain outside are constantly monitored.
“Animal safety is first and foremost,” Shipley says. “If it’s icy, we take them in.”
All but the polar bears, that is. They love this time of year.
[Getting some winter sun at the Toronto's Zoo's Polar Bear exhibit. Photo by Brett Gundlock / National Post.]
Read more: A T.O. Z: Z is for Toronto Zoo, of course, and its conservation efforts - Posted Toronto
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