Zoo’s Polar Bear Conservation Centre opens
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.99/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/01/2012 (5193 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
They’ve built it – but in a way, the Assiniboine Park Zoo hopes the polar bear cubs don’t come.
On Monday, the zoo officially opened its brand-new International Polar Bear Conservation Centre, the first attraction in what will become the sprawling Journey to Churchill exhibit, which is currently under construction.
The facility will serve as a rehabilitation centre for orphaned polar bear cubs. The centre is ready and willing to accept as many as a dozen cubs in brand-new, state-of-the-art enclosures, though it’s unlikely it will house that many.
There’s no way of knowing when an orphaned cub will be found – and from a conservation perspective, zookeepers hope it’s a rare occurrence.
“We really hope we don’t see any orphaned polar bear cubs, but realistically, it’s going to happen,” said Zoo zoological director Tim Sinclair-Smith. “We could get one next week, we may not see anything until next year.”
The conservation centre also features an interpretive centre filled with interactive videos exploring the impact of climate change on polar bear habitats and kid-friendly games.
Its tall windows will eventually look out over the rest of the Journey to Churchill exhibit, which will feature polar bears, arctic foxes, musk oxen and other animals native to northern Manitoba.