Great Bear Wilderness - Grizzly + Polar Bear Exhibits

Jul. 2013 - Click on the photo.

@Moebelle: It is a cool feature to click on specific photos and see the enlargement of the shot. Nicely done! What did you think of the bear exhibits in the Great Bear Wilderness complex? Although they are practically brand-new there is the tendency to view them simply as rocky grottoes with grass. The underwater viewing areas appear to be amazing but considering the vast cost and prestige of the historic Brookfield Zoo is it fair to have expected more quality from the bear enclosures?

Thanks snowleopard! I always enjoy a great Northwest environment. However, all the bear exhibits are on the small side. Some of the smallest I have ever seen. The third exhibit/second for polar bears pretty much doesn't even have a pool. It's the size of the polar bear. I don't mind the way they exhibited the bears and I'm glad they aren't bare but maybe the zoo could've been wiser about their use of space. Obviously no one can complain about the bison habitat, and of course the nearby gorgeous Wolf Woods.

The last polar bears ehibit is home to Aussie who keepers told me refuses to go into the water even if food is in it so they put him in the exhibt with the least amount of water while his son Hudson, newly aquired Anana and the Grizzly Bear brothers have the exhibits with lots of water and underwater viewing.

I don't know why but when I posted my last comment I had a feeling that something like that had to be the reason.

Actually, Anana is exhibited with Aussie so she would be in the exhibit with the least amount of water if Aussie was there. However, I know that pair have been rotating in different yards this summer. The one exhibit that doesn't have underwater viewing has two small pools. One in front and another in back with the waterfall cascading into it. Hudson and Anana shared that when they were first exhibited together, but as I've said, they've rotated, switched pairs since then. I've also seen a photo of Aussie in the pool this summer so maybe he succumbed to it during the hotter days. However he was half way in so I don't think he prefers to dive underwater.

Despite the rock work and the deep grottoes that take up space for the actual exhibit (the one on the left), I do like they have the option of rotating in different yards and I heard they have a very nice maternity den behind the scenes.

They used to have Aussie and Anana on exhibit together but then the zoo paired Anana with Hudson and had them in the exhibit without underwater viewing because that exhibit has a side yard so they could introduce the two bears. I was told by a keeper and they said that the zoo will keep Hudson and Anana together until they show they want to be separated.

When did you speak to their zookeeper? According to my friend who went this past Wednesday, and I've seen her weekly photos, Anana has been with Aussie. Hudson and Anana were paired up originally (in the side yard with the two pools) and then at the end of mating season she was paired with Aussie.

Anana and Aussie are still on exhibit together.

I just went to Brookfield last week. Overall I think the new bear exhibits were a disappointment. Still too much fake rock, not enough space, and not enough enrichment. Certainly better than what they had before. . .but Brookfield could have done much better than this.