I can’t quite believe that only the second park in the entire country to house these beautiful animals is just down the road from me! Peak Wildlife Park Leek Polar Bears are mere weeks from going on public display!
Three polar bears are going on display to the public this August and after a recent chat with Stoke on Trent Live have said they’re settling in well and their ‘individual personalities are beginning to show’.
The three bears had originally been housed at the Orsa Predator Park in Sweden but when the park closed down the bears were relocated.
Mother polar bear Hope will be joined by her two 19-month old bear clubs Nanook and Noori. They arrived at Leek Wildlife Park on June 30th and have been getting used to their new surroundings before going on public display.
They’re housed in a huge enclosure which is 5 acres in size and it’s quite the step up for a park that is used to housing meerkats, penguins and lemurs.
The polar bear relocation has been a collaborative effort between the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s (EAZA) European Ex-situ Programme (EEP) for polar bears, Orsa and Peak Wildlife Park, with a shared goal of ensuring the well-being and conservation of this iconic Arctic species.
Their new state-of-the-art home provides quality space that will be coupled with dynamic enrichment and a husbandry programme aimed a ensuring the highest welfare standards.
Peak Wildlife Park’s new enclosure consists of two enclosures with pools, one at six metres deep and the other at eight metres deep.
Arriving in the UK the bears were transported in specially-made boxes in climate-controlled lorries and the keepers said the bears were hesitant and a bit nervous when they first arrived but once they saw food, all was well in the world again.
I can’t wait to see Polar Bears, I’ve never seen one before and not visited the other UK attraction (based in Doncaster) that is the only other UK attraction to be home to Polar Bears.
Peak Wildlife Park Leek Polar Bears are just mere weeks from going on display.
What a great addition for Peak Wildlife Park!
