Highland Wildlife Park Confirmed!

[johnstoni]

The issue is that the HWP have stated an intention to breed from any future polar bears they acquire. This would make a lovely exhibit, and certainly the cubs would grow up in a rich and stimulating environment, only it doesn't really make sense. If Polar Bear habitat is decreasing, what is the point of increasing the captive population when in actual fact the available habitat in the wild will be more densely populated with these animals, plus they will encroach further into areas inhabited by humans.

It actuallly does make more sense educationally to perpetually exhibit 'rescued' wild-born problem bears that would otherwise have been shot. Producing cubs will require good homes to be found and, if the history of 'rehoming' polar bears from the UK to zoos in other countries is anything to go by, the excellent welfare work done through the husbandry of bears at the HWP enclosure will be undermined by moved-on cubs having to adjust to quite possibly far worse conditions abroad (or in the UK).

However, acting as a permanent retirement home for polar bears would also be a very good option. But I am personally of the opinion that the RZSS want cubs up there.

 

[kiang]

This is the statement in full regarding further use of the polar bear enclosure post Mercedes.

Apologies for the slow reply to your enquiry. Things have been rather busy at the zoo late!
Here is the official response with regards to the future of polar bears within RZSS:

The new polar bear enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park was built for 3 main initial reasons: to improve the welfare of Mercedes; to test a new style of polar bear enclosure barrier; and to provide a clear focus for educating people about global warming and how it relates to Arctic species specifically. So far, the first two points are seeming to be addressed, and we need to develop the third a bit more.

It is the Society’s intention to have a long term commitment to maintaining polar bears as part of the Park’s animal collection in line with cutting edge husbandry practices for the species and as part of a coordinated approach to polar bear conservation recommended by the polar bear EEP, the European Zoo Association’s Bear Taxon Advisory Group and the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group. We are very unlikely to be bringing in any more polar bears until after Mercedes dies, but she will be replaced. A male enclosure, along similar lines to Mercedes’ facility, will be built in the future in a completely different part of the Park as it is our intention to breed, but not to manage the species as a group as they are basically solitary, outside of the breeding season or when a female has cubs. The current facility will remain as the female polar bear enclosure, with the different sexes just being brought together for mating. A key issue for any future cubs that we may produce will be where they are sent at dispersal age. A general premise for any reputable zoo is that you should only send your animals to facilities that are similar to or better than the one you have been keeping them in. Currently there are very few polar bear enclosures globally that compare favourably with our one in the Park, but we fully anticipate that our model will help stimulate interest in a new generation of large polar bear facilities.

Another potential use for the current enclosure could be as a high quality holding facility for young, rescued polar bears that have come out of the wild and need to be kept somewhere prior to being sent to other collections within the European breeding programme. This alternate use may be realised after Mercedes dies and before we get into a potential breeding scenario.