Assiniboine Park Zoo held an entire weekend of activities for International Polar Bear Day, which will be taking place Monday.
The weekend allowed the zoo to not only mark the occasion but to raise awareness about the important role modern zoos play in the conservation and protection of the species.
“International Polar Bear Day is a perfect opportunity for visitors to connect with our bears here at the zoo and learn how we participate in polar bear conservation to help wild polar bears in our province,” said Dr. Chris Enright, Senior Director of Animal Management and Conservation.
“Polar bears are facing the threat of a warming arctic and we all have a role to play in protecting them.”
Some of the events included breakfast with the bears, Polar Bear Zoo Chats and a Polar Bear Scavenger Hunt.
Officials said The Assiniboine Park Zoo is actively engaged in a number of conservation science projects when it comes to understanding polar bears’ behaviour, as well as contributing to the conservation of the animal in the wild, including:
- testing of non-invasive burr-on-fur tracking tags,
- researching polar bear hair growth to validate studies of wild polar bears,
- tracking hormone changes in polar bears, and
- mapping important polar bear denning habitats in Manitoba that may be at risk from
wildfires.