zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
I`m guessing that the last one could be Mercedes herself as didn`t she come from the wild in Canada,because she was becoming a problem animal for the town of Churchill!!
Highland Wildlife Park New Polar Bear Arrives This Week
- Thread starter Peter Dickinson
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- polar bear zoo animals
Jim Clubb imported several in the 1980s.
johnstoni
Well-Known Member
I am assuming one of these is the animal at Heythrop Zoological garden.
I wonder where the others went?
Bonnie and Clyde at Chessington arrived in 1984. In the study commissioned by ZooCheck around that time, stereotyped behaviour levels were recorded as unusually low at Chessington, which I attribute to the young age of the bears. I'm not suggesting that study was a particularly good one, only that, at that point in the UK (with the exception of flamingoland, which I don't think was included in the study), the newest animals on public display seemed to be the pair at Chessington.
I wonder where the others went?
Bonnie and Clyde at Chessington arrived in 1984. In the study commissioned by ZooCheck around that time, stereotyped behaviour levels were recorded as unusually low at Chessington, which I attribute to the young age of the bears. I'm not suggesting that study was a particularly good one, only that, at that point in the UK (with the exception of flamingoland, which I don't think was included in the study), the newest animals on public display seemed to be the pair at Chessington.
mazfc
Well-Known Member
Yes I agree with you.
It's great to see Mercedes get a companion, but HWP is very unique in it's climate
Simon McGlary
Well-Known Member
And climate is an element that now seems to play a part in determining which animals to keep at HWP and Edinburgh Zoo. RZSS really seems to be taking a lead in this area and is probably why the animals are so different and so successful in breeding!
I remember at a talk Douglas Richardson gave on polar bears and Mercedes there were a number of intereting points he made.
Normally captive polar bears lose the fur on the soles of their feet, Mercedes hadn't. The loss is due to all concrete enclosures. 30 years ago there was no reason to keep polar bears in captivity as the wild population was very healthy, now there is due to the massive decline. Glass fronted pools that allow you to see polar bears swim underwater limit the enrichment you can give them. Give a polar bear a floating log in a glass fronted pool and you have a flood and an escaped polar bear on your hands!
Once again, great to see, HWP and RZSS in general setting the standards for the future of zoos! The local economy must love it as well!
According to an article in the independant in 2005 To-nuik/Minty died at Antwerp Zoo in 2004 from intestinal problems, although the article does state Minty was Mercedes' and Barney's only cub so not sure exactly how accurate it is.
I'm sure I recall reading that the other cub (Ohito?) went to Japan.
There is a photograph of Ohoto on Flickr taken in 2009.
polar bear Ohoto | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
polar bear Ohoto | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Walker was let into the main 4 acre enclosure today, for an explore, Mercedes was kept in the holding pen during this time.
Great pic of him in the pool.
Highland Wildlife Park, Kincraig's Photos - Wall Photos | Facebook
Great pic of him in the pool.
Highland Wildlife Park, Kincraig's Photos - Wall Photos | Facebook
Bonnie and Clyde actually arrived at Chessington as cubs in 1982, they came from Karlsruhe Zoo where they were born , they had the same father "Nanuk" but different mothers.
I had the great pleasure of working with this pair at Chessington.
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Absolutely!!!!!
From Facebook:
Another day in the office!! Yesterday afternoon, Walker was seen to be lethargic, and not his normal boisterous self. We called the vet team in at 2.30, and by 3.10 he was fully sedated. He had a large cyst under his tongue (see photo) which was probably caused by a foreign object such as a shard of bone or a stick. By 3.45 he had his sedation reversed and was back on his feet by 3.55. Today he is a little sorry for himself, and his lower jaw remains swollen but he is on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, so we hope he has a speedy recovery. For today we are keeping him in the small enclosure whilst he recovers.
The polar bear pair looking magnificent, with a full update on their management at the park on this link, from 11.00 minutes onwards.
(UK users only)
BBC iPlayer - Landward: 2010/2011: Episode 24
(UK users only)
BBC iPlayer - Landward: 2010/2011: Episode 24
Interesting item on the Polar Bears. Also that that Walker is very 'clean' looking while Mercedes by contrast looks very grubby/dirty. But they do look good in the habitat.
Had to laugh when the interviewer is given the chick to throw over the fence...
Had to laugh when the interviewer is given the chick to throw over the fence...
johnstoni
Well-Known Member
I don't think they conveyed the park's plans so well, it ends up looking as if things for Mercedes are uncertain, while the plans for Walker were explained in some depth.
I am assuming the park still plan to build a second enclosure, unless this is on hold now hence the slightly vague explanation? My fear, perhaps irrational, is that, in the event that they cannot fund a second enclosure, that the park will just adapt the holding areas and wait until Mercdes dies to bring a female into the same enclosure, or hold 1.2 within the existing exhibit, perhaps on rotation. If this occurred, I would be very concerned about the pressure to euthanase Mercedes at the slightest sign of age-related deterioration in her health. This is speculation, but I feel it is worth raising now (if it hasn't already been raised) as pressure needs to be applied should the park back out of building a second enclosure for this species. Would an adult male require different fencing?
This enclosure, IMHO, was one of the greatest ex-situ achievements for the UK zoo community over the last decade, its almost as if you have to pinch yourself watching these two animals bounding around the snow, barriers almost invisible not because they are down in some sunken ha-ha moat, but because they are so far up the hill they disappear in the distance. I forget how unlikely such a project seemed only 2-3 years ago when many of us were writing to RZSS asking them to consider this (little did we know they obviously already had such plans). I sincerely hope they do not detract from this achievement by modifying what is designed to be one of a pair of enclosures due to economic constraints.
I am assuming the park still plan to build a second enclosure, unless this is on hold now hence the slightly vague explanation? My fear, perhaps irrational, is that, in the event that they cannot fund a second enclosure, that the park will just adapt the holding areas and wait until Mercdes dies to bring a female into the same enclosure, or hold 1.2 within the existing exhibit, perhaps on rotation. If this occurred, I would be very concerned about the pressure to euthanase Mercedes at the slightest sign of age-related deterioration in her health. This is speculation, but I feel it is worth raising now (if it hasn't already been raised) as pressure needs to be applied should the park back out of building a second enclosure for this species. Would an adult male require different fencing?
This enclosure, IMHO, was one of the greatest ex-situ achievements for the UK zoo community over the last decade, its almost as if you have to pinch yourself watching these two animals bounding around the snow, barriers almost invisible not because they are down in some sunken ha-ha moat, but because they are so far up the hill they disappear in the distance. I forget how unlikely such a project seemed only 2-3 years ago when many of us were writing to RZSS asking them to consider this (little did we know they obviously already had such plans). I sincerely hope they do not detract from this achievement by modifying what is designed to be one of a pair of enclosures due to economic constraints.