Featured Image Credit: Polar Bear Habitat via Facebook
By Alice Morris
The Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat in Ontario, Canada is an impressive spot. Covering 7 hectares of land, it is the largest captive polar facility in the world, and with the recent addition of a ten-acre lake it just got even better!
The natural lake was incorporated into the bears’ enclosure after the facility received a grant for $1.2 million back in 2013.
The bears finally got their first taste of the lake over the summer, and they took to it like… well, polar bears to water!
But the real fun began last month. With the lake completely frozen over, the bears got to venture out onto real ice for the first time in their lives.
Dylan McCart, the conservation coordinator at the facility says the bears are really enjoying their new pond. “You’ll see natural behaviors that you just wouldn’t be able to see in captivity,” he says, “such as jumping on the ice, scratching at the ice, interacting with it. So it’s really interesting to watch.”
Preparing the new addition was truly a community effort and many Cochrane residents volunteered to help clean the lake and get it in tiptop shape for the bears.
“We scoured the area at least 15 times,” says Karen Cummings, the facility manager.
A road had to be moved and extensive fencing constructed to accommodate the lake, but everyone agrees it was a worthwhile effort.
“As far as that enclosure goes, it has surpassed any of our expectations,” said Cummings. “Seeing the bears swim in the lake during the summer was astounding, but from day one, everyone has been waiting for the bears to go out onto the ice.”
At 72 feet deep, the lake is large enough to support a thick layer of ice in the winter. That’s especially important because Henry and Ganuk, the facility’s polar bears, weigh 650 pounds and 1,020 pounds, respectively.
The new lake also provides a novel chance to observe how captive polar bears will react to a more natural environment.
“No other facility has seen what captive polar bears will do on frozen ice that they can walk on, push down on, and treat it like a wild polar bear would,” says Cummings. “The very first thing the bears did when they got on the ice – the very first thing – was to start pushing on it to see if they could break it.”
Scientists are especially interested in the research opportunities that this simulated environment could provide.
“It definitely opens up some research potential,” says Cummings. “We have lots of people inquiring about the size and stuff, behaviorists are definitely interested, and we do have some plans for this summer that will be happening with a few universities.”
The facility’s Facebook page provides regular updates on Henry and Ganuk’s ice adventures and you can even watch a live feed of the polar bears here.
It appears the polar bears are thoroughly enjoying their first authentic Canadian winter!