Mercedes

Yes, that is Mercedes viewed from the tower. She was hidden from the tower earlier in the day but viewable from the new covered viewong platform which alod looks over some of the main reserve

Should have added that that is the non-sturdy fence! Apparently she hasn't gone too near the fence and I would imagine that she could get through deer fence without much effort!

Maybe we'll have the first wild polar bear in Scotland since the end of the ice age then!

I think they must be relying on the electric fence to keep her away from the main fence. But if there is enough to keep her occupied IN the enclosure, they will pray it keeps her away from the fence.

An artical on another thread that was made about Jersey's bears proved that, if bears are conditioned to the fence properly, they avoid it as they know they'll get a shock. It seems as though Mercedes was as they put some of the fencing in her old enclosure to condition her before her move. Also, that mesh is pretty strong, so I don't think there's anything to worry about RE escapes.

It is quite common pracise in some countries with wild(Brown) bears to use single strand electric fences to keep them away from/out of certain areas e.g. campsites, vegetable plots etc. The bears respect this so I see no problem with electric fencing for Mercedes- hugely cost saving as far as the large enclosure is concerned.

At a recent talk it was added that this enclosure is suitable for noe more than two female polar bears but in now ay suitable for even one male. The fence just isn't sturdy enough!

Do they plan to modify the enclosure now that she has company? Walker is still a young fool but he will soon grow up to be a sizable fellow that no doubt will present more of a challenge than the grand old dame does.

Long term plan is to build a 5 acre enclosure on the other side of the park. One enclosure for a male and the other for a female. It's also looking good as a more than suitable enclosure for a male as well so perhaps something similar? Sometimes being radically different can pay off!

I remember reading something where the curator was interviewed, and he was saying he'd viewed footage of wild polar bears trying to penetrate a similar fence without success.