The Calgary Zoo's new polar bear made his debut Wednesday, but it will be a while before he gets up close and personal with the current polar bear in residence.
Yelle, a 500-kilogram, 20-year-old bear from Quebec, is out of quarantine and has made his way to the habitat at The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, wolfing down caches of food laid out for him.
He is to be gradually introduced to 420-kilogram Siku.
"They have had visual barriers in front of them just so they can get used to the space. They're very much aware of each other. They can smell each other, and they can hear each other and sometimes they go … talk," said Paul Woerner, the zoo's animal care manager.
"Just yesterday, they saw each other for the very first time, so we're doing slow introduction to the point where they can be out on habitat together."
Yelle's arrival comes almost two years after the zoo’s polar bear Baffin died.
The zoo determined Baffin died by drowning following a crushing injury to his trachea by Siku during a bout of rough play.
Woerner said the zoo hasn't had to make any structural or procedural changes.
"There's no human error. There's nothing we could have done differently and so we haven't changed anything," he said.
The bears are big for the Calgary Zoo. It has served as an Arctic Ambassador Centre with Polar Bears International since 2023, supporting efforts to raise awareness about the challenges the animals face in a rapidly changing Arctic.
Yelle was born in the Netherlands. Polar bears in captivity generally live to be 25 to 30 years old.
Woerner said the two bears seem to be, well, polar opposites.
He said Siku is very fond of his enclosure with its deep plunge pool.
"He likes to use that sort of as his big house," Woerner said. "He comes out for a few hours then he goes back in and sits in his castle."
Yelle, on the other hand, spends most of his time outside.
"My first impression is he seems like a great old guy,” Woerner said.
“He's the extrovert for sure.”
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Graveland
