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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Work set to begin on rescue facility

By: Bartley Kives

Posted: 06/7/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

CONSTRUCTION of a rescue facility for orphaned, injured or problem polar bears at Assiniboine Park Zoo will begin this week and the facility could be open by fall, paving the way for the return of the Arctic species to Manitoba's largest zoo.

The Selinger government, Polar Bears International and the Assiniboine Park Conservancy plan to hold a sod-turning on Tuesday for the $4.5-million first phase of the International Polar Bear Conservation Centre, an environmental research and educational centre inside the zoo.

The first phase of the facility will be a 5,000-square-foot research and education centre rising behind what used to be the zoo's old polar bear enclosure, which no longer meets Manitoba Conservation standards to house the species. Polar Bears International will oversee the research and conservation programs at the centre.

The old polar bear enclosure, formerly the home of longtime Assiniboine Park Zoo resident Debby, will be retrofitted to serve as a "transition facility" for orphaned polar bears rescued from the wild, problem polar bears that face destruction and perhaps injured animals or bears fouled by oil spills.

At first, only orphaned Canadian polar bear cubs will be placed at the facility, due to international regulations governing the movement of polar bears. The cubs will be conditioned to life in captivity and placed in accredited zoos.

The rescued bears will not be on display to the public except via closed-circuit camera, said Robert Buchanan, president and CEO of Polar Bears International.

"Polar bears are not for entertainment. They're for environmental stewardship and education," he said.

Buchanan's organization does not support capturing wild bears for the purposes of breeding them. But it has no issue with zoos that breed polar bears born in captivity and exchange the cubs with other zoos.

Polar Bears International supports the rescue of orphaned or otherwise doomed bears because of the role the animals can play in environmental education, Buchanan said. Observing bears and learning about them can increase public awareness of the Arctic ecosystem and encourage people to reduce their carbon footprint.

Buchanan believes Winnipeg is the perfect place to house the conservation centre because Manitoba Conservation created the world standards for housing the animals. The Selinger government has committed $1 million toward the centre, while the Assiniboine Park Conservancy must raise the remaining $3.5 million from private sources.

The conservancy is also working on a zoo revitalization plan that includes a new Arctic exhibit with a state-of-the-art polar bear enclosure. The plans call for an underwater viewing area, large grounds for the animals and a tundra buggy that will serve as a viewing platform.

Construction on the Arctic exhibit may begin in 2012.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 7, 2010 A3

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