Best bear exhibits?

pachyderm pro

pachyderm pro

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
This has maybe been discussed in a thread already but if not... What are some of the best bear exhibits for all 8 species? From the info I have gotten here is my assessment from the research I have done.

Polar bear
Detroit, San Diego, Toronto

Grizzly bear
Minnesota, Woodland park, Montana

American black
Lincoln park

Asiatic black
Philadelphia

Sun
Columbus, Taronga

Sloth
Columbus, Brookfield

Spectacled
Zurich

Giant Panda
Smithsonian, Adelaide

What else would you add the list of best bear exhibits?
 
Smithsonian also has a great sloth bear exhibit.

For polar bears, I would include Columbus and perhaps North Carolina.

I think that the sun and spectacled bear exhibits at Saint Louis are excellent, but I don't know how they stack up against others.
 
The sun and spectacled bear exhibits at Saint Louis definitely belong on that list.

Perhaps Knoxville for American black?
 
Orsa Bear Park (Sweden) & Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) for Polar and Brown bears
 
Size-wise and landscaping-wise, some of the bear exhibits in safari parks would surely be among the best, but I'm not actually sure if cars constantly passing the bears can affect their stress levels?
 
Or I Could just make this list that I could edit every time someone has a new addition to the list.

Polar
Detroit, San Diego, Toronto, Columbus, North Carolina, Orsa Bear Park, Scandinavian Wildlife Park

Grizzly
Minnesota, Woodland park, Montana, Orsa Bear Park, Scandinavian Wildlife Park

American Black
Lincoln Park, Knoxville

Asiatic Black
Philadelphia

Sun
Columbus, Taronga, Saint Louis

Sloth
Columbus, Brookfield, Smithsonian

Spectacled
Zurich, Saint Louis

Giant Panda
Smithsonian, Adelaide
 
American Black Bears have a beautiful exhibit at my home zoo , Turteback Zoo, with two Black Bears and a Red Fox, a huge naturalistic enclosure with rocks, pools, and hills, and lots of space, plus a large indoor holding area.
 
DragonDust101 said:
San Diego has a pretty good Specatcled Bear exhibit, as does the National Zoo.
Click to expand...

San Diego has an ok exhibit, but it lacks space.

National's are a bit bigger but neither has sufficient climbing structures. They aren't naturalistic in the slightest, either.
 
San Diego's bear exhibits (other then polar) are average and best. If the sun bear exhibit had more foliage then it would be on the list.
 
For Sun bears I would add Burgers Zoo. The spectacled bear exhibit in Franfurt is also very good, as is the one in Vienna. For brown bears many good exhibits exist in the "wildparks" of central Europe, one of the best is probably the one in the Bavarian forest wildlife park.
 
I almost hate to argue this point as Whipsnade's exhibit is clearly wonderful, but I think there is a definite group of exhibits that rank above it, of which I have seen at least two. Plzen's is the best I have seen in a zoo; I believe it is 2.5 acres, and covers a variety of woodland terrain on a slope of varying inclinations. Chomotov Zoopark's is possibly better still, and includes a huge lake. I've no idea about the indoor areas for either of these, but I imagine that Whipsnade also underperforms on that front.
 
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center's Brown Bear exhibit is wonderful.

I believe that Northwest Trek has the best American Black Bear exhibit I've ever seen.

I am hopeful that the Alaska Zoo's Polar Bear Exhibit will be world-class (and it's already pretty nice) once the renovation is complete.
 
I reckon that the Polar Bear exhibit at Highland Wildlife Park *has* to rank among the best enclosures for any bear species in a captive collection, let alone the best enclosures for that particular bear species!
 
Chester for Andean bears, is a good choice, a great large enclosure for the bears which has an abundance of foliage, enrichment and water features for them to use as well as giving the bears lots of privacy (So much so I've only ever saw them once, though I'm not a frequent visitor like others)
 
TeaLovingDave said:
I reckon that the Polar Bear exhibit at Highland Wildlife Park *has* to rank among the best enclosures for any bear species in a captive collection, let alone the best enclosures for that particular bear species!
Click to expand...
I have to agree, the setting adds a lot to it as well, I also think that Yorkshire Wildlife Parks may be up there as well once it is fully finished.
 
I happen to like the brown bear exhibit in Teton Trek at Memphis. A very large, open, and spacious area with 2 pools (1 allows under water viewing), a waterfall, and a flowing stream.
 
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