Polar Bears Frolic in Snow At San Diego Zoo
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- Created on Saturday, 09 February 2013 21:16
- Written by IVN
San Diego, California - The San Diego Zoo's three polar bears were greeted with a special treat this morning when they walked into their exhibit at Conrad Prebys Polar Bear Plunge and found 18 tons of fresh snow. The bears immediately took to the icy surface, bounding to the top of the snow mounds.
They rubbed and wiggled in the snow, and used the slippery ice to slide and play. All three bears dug, pounced and rolled around in the snow for hours while smiling donors and Zoo visitors watched.
"Those are three ecstatic polar bears out there," said JoAnne Simerson, San Diego Zoo senior keeper. "They are like little children on Christmas morning, so excited and having lots of fun."
Enrichment is important for the bears, as it keeps the animals stimulated and active, allowing them to show their natural behaviors. Today's special enrichment was made possible by generous donors who contributed enough funds to the Zoo's online Animal Care Wish List to provide the 60,000 pounds of snow for both the polar bears, as well as the Zoo's three brown bears. The wish list is like an online gift registry for animals at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It is updated monthly and can be found at sandiegozoo.org/wishlist.
San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy is dedicated to bringing endangered species back from the brink of extinction. The Conservancy makes possible the wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) of the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, and international field programs in more than 35 countries. The important conservation and science work of these entities is supported in part by The Foundation of the Zoological Society of San Diego.