The Calgary Zoo’s new polar bear has accomplished his quarantine and is now trying out his new house.
The arrival of 20-year-old “Yelle” comes almost two years after one other bear, seven-year-old Baffin, drowned within the pool on the zoo’s bear enclosure.
The arrival of Yelle, seen exploring his new house on the Calgary Zoo, comes two years after one other bear, Baffin, drowned in a pool on the zoo’s polar bear exhibit.
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Yelle, who was born within the Netherlands, arrived on March 17 from his earlier house at Quebec’s Zoo Sauvage de Saint-Félicien, however he wanted to be quarantined till now to offer the zoo time to observe his behaviour and luxury stage in his new house.
Wildlife specialists are hoping Yelle will ultimately bond with the zoo’s different bear, 10-year-old Siku, who has been alone on the zoo since Baffin died.
The Calgary Zoo says Yelle will progressively be launched to the zoo’s different bear, Siku, seen right here in early April.
Courtesy: Jaiden Chaudhary
Each Siku and Baffin got here to the Calgary Zoo in 2023 from the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, the place they had been raised after being orphaned within the wild once they had been simply cubs.
This is without doubt one of the final images of seven-year-old Baffin and Siku on the Calgary Zoo earlier than Baffin drowned in 2024.
Courtesy: Katt Hryciw
Zoo officers stated Siku and Yelle can be launched to one another fastidiously.
“They’ve had visible boundaries in entrance of them simply in order that they’ll get used to the house. Yelle has the chance to get out onto the habitat and see all the things round him, so that they’re very a lot conscious of one another, they’ll odor one another and so they hear one another and generally speak to one another on both aspect of it,” stated Paul Warner, supervisor of animal care.
“Simply yesterday they noticed one another for the very first time, so we’re doing sluggish introduction till we get to the purpose the place they’ll be out on habitat collectively.”
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“He (Yelle) is an older bear. He’s a bear that’s lived with different bears all his life, as has Siku. Siku may be very accustomed to having older bears, and he’s used to that dynamic. Each these bears have lived with the opposite bears all their lives, and it’s one thing that they each will get pleasure from and it’s good for each their welfare,” stated Warner.
However he admits that introducing the 2 bears additionally comes with dangers.
“In fact all the things comes with dangers if you’re placing animals collectively and whether or not they’re within the wild or in captivity, there are some dangers, however we’ve got an awesome group that’s monitoring the behaviour. We transfer on the tempo of the bears so that they’re solely going to come back collectively as soon as they’ve determined that that is one thing that they need to do, so we are going to take our time and we’ll transfer on the tempo of the animals.”
“Siku will possible be excited to see him and see what he can get away with and poke at him and play and that type of a factor and Yelle, being the older man, he’ll set the tone,” Warner added.
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