Bears!

Personally, I have seen:
Brown Bear (Grizzly [Toronto]),
American Black Bear [Calgary],
Asiatic Black Bear [Granby],
Polar Bear [Toronto],
Sun Bear [Atlanta],
Sloth Bear [Washington, D.C.],
Spectacled (or Andean) Bear [Cincinnati],
and Giant Panda [Toronto].
Yes, I have seen all 8 bear species!
 
I have seen all 8 in the UK:
Brown - Whipsnade / Wildwood / Dartmoor (one of who's is rumoured to be a Syrian Brown Bear - she certainly looks like one)
American Black - Woburn
Asiatic Black - Dudley Zoo
Polar - Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Sun Bear - Colchester Zoo / Edinburgh Zoo / Chester Zoo
Sloth - Whipsnade
Spectacled / Andean - Chester / Noahs Ark
Giant Panda - Edinburgh
 
Zia said:
Brown - Whipsnade / Wildwood / Dartmoor (one of who's is rumoured to be a Syrian Brown Bear - she certainly looks like one)
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It's no rumour - the geriatric female at Dartmoor is indeed Syrian.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
It's no rumour - the geriatric female at Dartmoor is indeed Syrian.
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The information I read at the park stated that Fudge's heritage was not known for certain - I don't know if anything came of the DNA examination referenced though.

"Whilst records from London Zoo indicate that she is a European Brown Bear, her physical characteristics suggest that she is actually a Syrian Brown Bear. Staff are working with experts at Plymouth University examining her DNA to establish her true heritage."
 
Very generally speaking:

Polar: Bronx, Ueno, Leningrad, Rhenen, Berlin Zoo, Berlin Tierpark

Sun: Edinburgh, Colchester, Chester, Belfast, Phnom Tamao, Ueno, Bali Zoo, Bali Safari, Bali Elephant Camp, Madrid, Arnhem, Rhenen, Berlin Tierpark, Münster, Cologne

Asiatic Black: Ueno, Phnom Tamao, Wroclaw, Madrid, Berlin Zoo

Sloth: Berlin Zoo

Spectacled: Chester, Belfast, Queens, Berlin Tierpark

Panda: Edinburgh, Ueno, Shenzhen, Madrid, Rhenen, Berlin Zoo

Brown: Bronx, Central Park, Ueno, Wroclaw, Shenzhen, Rhenen, Münster, Cologne

American Black: Leningrad, Madrid, Berlin Tierpark
 
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Likewise, I have seen the following in living memory:

Polar = Artis, Dierenrijk, Blijdorp, Ouwehands, Bronx, Central Park

American black = Woburn, Madrid

Asiatic black = Dierenrijk, Pairi Daiza, Madrid

Sun = Chester, Colchester, Edinburgh, Burgers', Ouwehands, Madrid, Matang Wildlife Centre

Sloth = London, Whipsnade, Beekse Bergen, Artis

Spectacled = Chester, Artis, Antwerp, Port Lympne, Duisburg, Madrid

Panda = Edinburgh, Madrid, Ouwehands, Pairi Daiza

Brown = Dierenrijk, Ouwehands, Bronx, Central Park, Whipsnade, Madrid, Emmen (Zoo, not Wildlands)

If we're going into subspecies currently present in Europe, I have seen both subspecies of sloth (Indian at Artis and SBB, Sri Lankan at London and then at Whipsnade after they moved there), 2/3 types of Asiatic black (non-sub and 'Normal' as ZTL lists it), and 4/8 brown (European brown, non-sub, grizzly and Kodiak) :) though I visited Artis around the time they had Syrian brown I do not remember seeing them, and therefore have not counted the taxon.

I must also admit that, though ZTL lists Ouwehands' brown bears as all European brown, some could easily be Syrian, Kamchatka or Ussuri...
 
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beccasunbear said:
Very nice - I’m quite jealous! Both Matang Wildlife Centre and Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre are pretty high on my list.
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I was far more excited about the bushy-crested hornbills, Bornean white-bearded gibbons, Bornean clouded leopard, masked palm civet and Bornean binturong that I saw at Matang, but seeing so many orangutans and sun bears (I think I counted at least nine of the former and seven of the latter) was pretty cool too!
 
To be honest, anywhere at all that houses just Asian species is pretty exciting for me! But I have a certain thing for Sinead the sun bear at Matang, I’m not gonna lie.
 
Might as well do this.....

Holdings which are no longer present in italics:

Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) - Edinburgh Zoo

Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) - Tierpark Berlin, Zoo Berlin, Zoo Jihlava, Chester Zoo, Colchester Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo

Sri Lankan Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus inornatus) - ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Indian Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus ursinus) - Zoo Berlin, Zoo Leipzig

Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) - Chester Zoo, South Lakes Zoo, Tierpark Berlin, Wilhelma

American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) - Tierpark Berlin, Woburn Safari Park

Non-subspecific Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) - Tierpark Hellabrunn, Zoo Berlin

European Brown Bear (Ursus arctos arctos) - Zoo Augsburg, Wildpark Schwarze Berge, Innsbruck Alpenzoo, Zoo Plzen, Zoopark Chomutov, Wildwood Trust, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Heythrop Zoo, Highland Wildlife Park, Five Sisters Zoo, Welsh Mountain Zoo

Kamchatka Brown Bear (Ursus arctos beringianus) - Tierpark Hagenbeck

Syrian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) - Wilhelma

Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) - Tierpark Berlin, Zoo Berlin, Zoo am Meer, Tierpark Hagenbeck, Zoo Hannover, Tierpark Hellabrunn, Tiergarten Nürnberg, Wilhelma, Zoo Praha, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Flamingo Land, Highland Wildlife Park

Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) - Zoo Berlin, Muncaster Castle, Heythrop Zoo, Dudley Zoo
 
I've managed to see all eight species of bear - I have also shown holdings at which the species is absent in italics. The collections are listed roughly in the order I saw them in:

Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) - Edinburgh Zoo

Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) - Edinburgh Zoo, Colchester Zoo, Burgers Zoo, Rare Species Conservation Centre

Sri Lankan sloth bear (Melursus ursinus inornatus) - ZSL London, ZSL Whipsnade (the same individuals)

Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) - South Lakes Zoo, Jersey Zoo

Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) - Colchester Zoo

American black bear (Ursus americanus) - Woburn Safari Park

Non-subspecific Brown bear (Ursus arctos) - Amersfoort Zoo

European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) - ZSL Whipsnade, Wildwood Trust

Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) - Colchester Zoo, Wilhelma

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) - Flamingo Land, Wilhelma, Edinburgh
 
Brown Bear (many types, including grizzlies)
Malayan Sun Bear
American Black Bear
Spectacled Bear
Polar Bear
Asiatic Black Bear
Giant Panda
Sloth Bear
Oh! That's all 8!
 
Unfortunately, so far I have only seen:

Andean Bear - Belfast Zoo

Malayan Sun Bear - Belfast Zoo

Polar Bear - Yorkshire Wildlife Park
 
I've seen all species of bear, but one still don't photographed, the sloth bear, because it was too far from the enclosure limit.

Ailuropoda melanoleuca (Giant panda). Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2008. Berlin zoo-aquarium. 2011. San Diego zoo. 2016. Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2017
Helarctos malayanus (Sun bear). Taipei zoo. 2006. Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2008. Berlin tierpark. 2011. Cologne zoo. 2017
Melursus ursinus (Sloth bear). London zoo. 2006. Berlin zoo-aquarium. 2011
Tremarctos ornatus (Spectacled bear). Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2008. Duisburg zoo. 2017
Ursus americanus (American black bear). Berlin tierpark. 2011
Ursus arctos (Brown bear). Cabarceno (before 2000). Madrid zoo-aquarium (before 2000). Skansen. 1999. Barcelona zoo. 2011. Plzen zoo. 2013. San Diego zoo. 2016 (subspecies horribilis). Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2017. Wuppertal zoo. 2017. Probably other zoos.
Ursus maritimus (Polar bear). Magdalena park Santander (before 2000). Tierpark Hellabrunn. 2012. Prague zoo. 2013. Seaworld San Diego. 2016. Wuppertal zoo. 2017
Ursus thibetanus (Asiatic black bear). Taipei zoo. 2006 (subspecies formosanus). Berlin zoo-aquarium. 2011. Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2017
 
My list:

Polar Bear

London
Whipsnade
Bristol
Chessington
Chester
Copenhagen
Edinburgh
Yorkshire wildlife Park
Tierpark Berlin
Zoo Berlin

Giant Panda

London
Edinburgh

Asiatic Black Bear

London
Linton
Poole Park
Colchester
Dudley
Wingham
Zoo Berlin

American Black Bear

London
Woburn
Tierpark Berlin

Spectacled Bear

Chester
Port Lympne
Tierpark Berlin
Duisburg

Sun Bear

RSCC
Colchester
Edinburgh
Chester
Tierpark Berlin
Cologne

Sloth Bear

London
Whipsnade
Zoo Berlin

Brown Bear

London
Whipsnade ( including Kodiak )
Chester
Welsh Mountain
Colchester
Copenhagen
Pistoia
Cologne (Grizzly)

I may have seen a few others at Bristol /Chessington but can't really remember and must have seen the Spectacled Bear at Whipsnade, as I'm told they were near the Jaguars, which I definitely remember seeing on a few visits between the age of 7-12, maybe 14
 
pipaluk said:
...must have seen the Spectacled Bear at Whipsnade....
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The Whipsnade spectacled bears were previously at London Zoo; it's probable that you saw the very same specimens there too, as they were still in London the year you saw the polar bear cub "Pipaluk" for the first time.
 
TheWalrus said:
Personally, I have seen:
Brown Bear (Grizzly [Toronto]),
American Black Bear [Calgary],
Asiatic Black Bear [Granby],
Polar Bear [Toronto],
Sun Bear [Atlanta],
Sloth Bear [Washington, D.C.],
Spectacled (or Andean) Bear [Cincinnati],
and Giant Panda [Toronto].
Yes, I have seen all 8 bear species!
Click to expand...
Quite the accomplishment. Maybe someday you'll see them all in the wild.
 
Does anyone know which zoos in Europe hold the largest number of bear species? Is it:

Madrid 5: Giant Panda, Asian Black bears, American black bear, european brown bears and sun bears (saw spectacled on my first visit but I assume they have gone?)

Berlin 6: brown bear, giant panda, sloth bear, polar bear, asian black bear

Berlin tierparc: sun bear, polar bear, spectacled bear (do they hold american black bears outside the zoo still i know they had 2 elderly individuals before)

Thanks!
 
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