Polar
Bear
Ursus maritimus
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are found around the North
Pole, Alaska, arctic Canada, Greenland, Scandanavia,
and Russia. The polar bear's scientific name means "sea
bear". They are excellent swimmers--their feet are partially
webbed and their fur is water-repellent. Their environment
is extremely cold but they are able to withstand it.
The polar bear's entire body is covered in fur, even
the bottom of its paws. The polar bear's main food source
is the seal, but when they are not available, polar
bears will prey on young walrus, beluga whales, fish,
and seabirds. In the summer months, they will also eat
lichens, moss, and berries. Polar bears are under threat
due to the loss of their habitat. They need sea ice
to be able to move to different hunting grounds, but
global warming is causing the ice to melt earlier each
year. This means that the polar bear has less time to
hunt and put on weight for their winter fast.
 After
the sad death of Mercedes, our old female, we now only
have Walker, a young 2 year old male from Rhenen Zoo
in the Netherlands.
Mercedes was the only polar bear in a UK zoo until
Walker (a 2 year old male) arrived here in November
2010. Mercedes had been in Edinburgh Zoo since 1984.
She was rescued from her native Canada after she was
scheduled to be shot. Unfortunately, she roamed into
a nearby town in search of food and, as they are dangerous
animals, this behaviour had to be discouraged. Initially,
she was captured and the number "39" was painted
on her coat which allowed her to be tracked. On her
third visit the decision was made to shoot her. Luckily,
one of our Society's life members enlisted the help
of her cousin, a former Minister of Fisheries in Canada,
who helped RZSS save her and provide a new home. Mercedes,
the car company, assisted with the costs of her transport,
hence her name.
Mercedes' keepers provided the highest possible standards
of care and whilst her enclosure was adequate to meet
her needs, public perception had always been that they
would like to see her in a larger enclosure.
In October 2009 therefore, Mercedes was re-housed
in a brand new £300,000 home here at the Highland
Wildlife Park where we created the largest polar bear
enclosure in Europe. The enclosure which now houses
Walker, features a large natural pool set in over four
acres of land, which is typical of the polar bear's
tundra environment. Visitors can watch the bears from
both the main reserve and from a viewing platform at
the top of the hill, which will provide a unique insight
into the natural behaviour of this wonderful and yet
sadly endangered mammal.
To celebrate the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s
100th birthday in 2009, we launched our Centenary Fundraising
Appeal to raise £75,000 to create this enclosure
for Mercedes. The Society was delighted that the army
pledged to contribute their time and machinery to develop
the enclosure. This meant that our new £300,000
enclosure only cost the Society £75,000, which
was raised through donations.
We are grateful to our members, adopters, supporters
and visitors for generously donating to this appeal.
On 31 September 2009 we surpassed our target and closed
the appeal.
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