Polar bear aficionados take note: Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo is hosting special activities this weekend to mark International Polar Bear Day.
The zoo, which is home to the expansive Journey to Churchill exhibit and an international polar bear interpretive centre, is hoping to raise awareness about the animals as well as the roles zoos play in their conservation.
“International Polar Bear Day provides a chance for guests to engage with the zoo’s bears and understand our contributions to polar bear conservation, aiding their counterparts in the wild,” zoo conservation and research director Stephen Petersen said in a release.
“Arctic warming poses a significant threat to polar bears, but learning about how each of us can contribute to their protection is a great start to help them.”
The activities include a concert by renowned children’s entertainer Al Simmons on Saturday, plus a series of family-friendly, educational events for zoo-goers to learn about the bears and their world.
The zoo said International Polar Bear Day was chosen as a day of awareness because it coincides with the time of year when mothers and cubs are in their dens — a particularly vulnerable time for bear cubs.
A full list of Polar Bear Day events is available on the zoo’s website.