Former Polar Bear Holders

Enzo said:
South Africa:
- National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (died 2014).
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The National Zoo hasn't kept Polar bears since the 70s. You are confusing it with Johannesburg Zoo :p
Johannesburg Zoo has kept Polar Bears for most of its history. Their first bears arrived in 1924 from Bronx Zoo and were housed in the now Red Panda Enclosure.
In 1986, a new enclosure was completed and the zoo received 2 animals to be displayed there.

0.1 GeeBee; born 1985; from Sapporo Zoo in Japan
1.0 Wang; born 1984; from Interzoo in Canada

GeeBee passed away in January 2014 after rejecting medical treatment for Diarrhea. Wang died shortly after in August.
The zoo has stated that they will not acquire polar bears again as Johannesburg's climate is unsuitable for the animals to thrive.
 
Nix said:
The National Zoo hasn't kept Polar bears since the 70s. You are confusing it with Johannesburg Zoo :p
Johannesburg Zoo has kept Polar Bears for most of its history. Their first bears arrived in 1924 from Bronx Zoo and were housed in the now Red Panda Enclosure.
In 1986, a new enclosure was completed and the zoo received 2 animals to be displayed there.

0.1 GeeBee; born 1985; from Sapporo Zoo in Japan
1.0 Wang; born 1984; from Interzoo in Canada

GeeBee passed away in January 2014 after rejecting medical treatment for Diarrhea. Wang died shortly after in August.
The zoo has stated that they will not acquire polar bears again as Johannesburg's climate is unsuitable for the animals to thrive.
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Thanks, my man. I have realized some more zoos in Brazil have held polar bears. Rio imported their pair of polar bears in 1951. São Paulo brought one from a Japanese circus in 1963 and sent it to Sapucaia do Sul in the same decade.
 
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elefante said:
I bet those bears really suffered in Jacskonsville. What an awful place for them.
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Oh, are we also talking about circuses? In the last one hundred years or so, many circuses holding polar bears from various areas of the world visited South America. However, I believe the most extreme case of polar bears in the continent were the seven specimens kept by the Garcia Circus. They were brought to various unexpected areas, including THE AMAZON (Manaus, specifically).
 
Enzo said:
Oh, are we also talking about circuses? In the last one hundred years or so, many circuses holding polar bears from various areas of the world visited South America. However, I believe the most extreme case of polar bears in the continent were the seven specimens kept by the Garcia Circus. They were brought to various unexpected areas, including THE AMAZON (Manaus, specifically).
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There was also the Suarez Brothers circus that traveled in the tropics with seven polar bears in the early 2000s. Most went to zoos in the USA.
 
Not sure on the dates but I know Houston had a Polar Bear as late as the 1930s.
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Cleveland had Polar Bears until our last one died in 2013. Their exhibit is now used to rotate Grizzly and Black Bears
 

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baby polars from La Zoo Bruno and Sweetheart 67’
Top photo is sweetheart in early 2000’s
Neil chace said:
Updated list-
Roger Williams Park Zoo- left in 2005
Stone Zoo- died in 2000
Ecotarium- died in 2011
Capron Park Zoo- exhibited from 1956-1988
Slater Park Zoo (closed)- died 1979 (?)
Central Park Zoo- died early 2010s
Bronx Zoo- died c. 2018
Franklin Park Zoo- exhibited 1912-??
Philadelphia Zoo- exhibited until 2018
Sea World San Diego- exhibited until 2017
Sacramento Zoo- until ?
Micke Grove Zoo- until ?
San Fransisco Zoo- until ?
Los Angeles Zoo- polar bear “ sweetheart” died in 2003
Fresno Zoo- until ?
Smithsonian National Zoo- exhibited until 1986
Denver Zoo- left in 2018
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Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn had them at one time before the zoo was taken over by WCS. The site of their exhibit is now where the administrative building sits. There was a fatal attack in 1987 when two young boys entered the exhibit after hours with one of them not surviving his injuries.
 
As someone mentioned the UK list would be pretty long too,

Chester and Bristol notably had Polar Bears until the 1990s and also, the ill fated Glasgow Zoo had at least one for a time.
 
Chapultepec zoo had polar bears for many years.Most were problem bears that arrived in Mexico as diplomatic gifts from Canada. The last polar bear in the zoo died around 2010.
 
For Japan, Kyoto City Zoo, Shunan City Tokuyama Zoo, and Cuddly Dominion on the top of my head. I do recall Tokuyama having polar bears in their masterplan, but I am sure that could change.

Upon further research I also found out that Nogeyama Zoo, Himeji City Zoo, Rakutenchi Amusement Park, and Okuhida Bear Ranch. However the list I found is likely to be outdated (it did not have Kyoto) so there might be more I did not find for now.
 
In Spain, there were formerly polar bears in the zoos of Barcelona and Madrid, as well as a small zoo in Santander, in Parque de la Magdalena. It'ss posible that there were more specimens in other zoos, but I do'nt know them.
 
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