Woburn Safari Park Wolf and bear mixed enclosure

Cody Raney

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know if there has been any incident at the park between the Wolves and Black Bears that share an enclosure? Logic would say that the Bears would kill a Wolf the instant it showed any aggression towards a Bear cub. Not even the San Diego Zoo or the Safari Park have ever attempted an enclosure with two predator species as far as I know.
 
Does anyone know if there has been any incident at the park between the Wolves and Black Bears that share an enclosure? Logic would say that the Bears would kill a Wolf the instant it showed any aggression towards a Bear cub. Not even the San Diego Zoo or the Safari Park have ever attempted an enclosure with two predator species as far as I know.
Bristol Zoo have (non-breeding?) Wolves and Brown Bears together
 
Does anyone know if there has been any incident at the park between the Wolves and Black Bears that share an enclosure? Logic would say that the Bears would kill a Wolf the instant it showed any aggression towards a Bear cub. Not even the San Diego Zoo or the Safari Park have ever attempted an enclosure with two predator species as far as I know.

The fact they are still together indicates to me there have been no issues, whenever I've been to Woburn they seem happy enough side by side.
 
Does anyone know if there has been any incident at the park between the Wolves and Black Bears that share an enclosure? Logic would say that the Bears would kill a Wolf the instant it showed any aggression towards a Bear cub. Not even the San Diego Zoo or the Safari Park have ever attempted an enclosure with two predator species as far as I know.
I don't think whether or not the San Diego collections have attempted something is indicative of how successful it could be. Bear and wolf mixes are relatively common in Europe.

A few examples of other collections which do it, although this is by no means an exhaustive list:

- Bristol Zoo Project
- ZooParc de Beauval
- Thoiry ZooSafari
- NaturZoo de Mervent
- Pairi Daiza
- Wildpark Grünau
- Zoo Stadt Haag
- Zoo Schwerin
- Tierpark Dählöhlzi
- Ouwehands Zoo
- Zoo Târgu Mureș

Thoiry even takes it a step further by mixing bison in with the bears and wolves! I have no idea how it works.

I don't know the husbandry, but if I had to guess, maybe the two animals are separated when cubs are born to prevent protectiveness over cubs and subsequent aggression. I've read on this forum that at Erlebnispark Tripsdrill a bear killed a wolf and the mix had to cease, but I can't find anything about it from other sources.
 
Does anyone know if there has been any incident at the park between the Wolves and Black Bears that share an enclosure? Logic would say that the Bears would kill a Wolf the instant it showed any aggression towards a Bear cub. Not even the San Diego Zoo or the Safari Park have ever attempted an enclosure with two predator species as far as I know.

It's a common mix in Europe. en/Mixed exhibit Ursidae
 
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