To be entirely truthful, I'm more of a cat and pachyderm person. But this thread kind of has the idea of the lions tigers and leopards thread. It's a discussion on which bears are in Captivity which ones are rarer or are not in captivity, and your list of bears you have seen.
Not seen many but here is my list Andean Bear (Chester,South Lakes) Malayan Sun Bear (Chester) Eurasian Brown Bear (Welsh Mountain Zoo.
I visited Vincennes (Paris) and (west) Berlin Zoo many times during the 1980s when both collections had every species of bear:- polar bear, brown bear, Asiatic black bear, American black bear, sloth bear, sun bear, spectacled bear and giant panda. However, in Paris, two different bear species sometimes shared the same outdoor exhibit and were let outside on alternate days; consequently, it was necessary to visit on two consecutive days to be sure of seeing every species. I think, also, that there was a time in the 1960s when London Zoo had every bear species simultaneously; certainly I saw every species there, many times, when I was a child during that decade. However, after all these years, I am not certain that I ever saw them all in the same visit. (During that period London Zoo had the famous giant panda "Chi-Chi" although, of course, in those days the giant panda was not considered to be a bear.) Are there any zoos today that currently exhibit every bear species?
I don't think there's any single zoos keeping them all, but I believe if one considers both berlin zoos as one entity, after the arrival of pandas, they are probably the closest to having the full set: they're only missing brown bears! Very fitting, in a city whose flag features a bear.
I have seen polar bear, brown bear, Asiatic black bear, sun bear and giant panda. One interesting subspecies I have seen is the formosan black bear, which I don't think is found in other zoos.
I've seen: Asiatic Black Bear (Dudley) Malayan Sun Bear (Chester,Edinburgh,Colchester) American Black Bear (Woburn) Sri Lankan Sloth Bear (Whipsnade) Polar Bear (Yorkshire WP) Spectacled Bear (Chester, South Lakes) Giant Panda (Edinburgh) Brown Bear (Colwyn Bay,Whipsnade)
Best bear enclosure in UK? I really like the Brown Bear paddock at Whipsnade, but then I've not seen either of the UK's current Polar Bear exhibits.
I agree. Whipsnades's brown bear enclosure is superb and is a particular favourite of mine; it is especially remarkable considering it dates to the early 1930s. I also like Chester's spectacled bear enclosure very much. Like you, I've not yet seen either of the UK's current polar bear exhibits (but I hope to visit the Yorkshire Wildlife Park next month).
From what I have seen I would have to give the crown to Chester as their Andean Bear exhibit is one of the best in the zoo.The bears have a moat,large branches to climb,honey enrichment,rocks and plenty of foliage to hide which means that the bears are sometimes hard to spot.The sun bears are currently housed in the jaguar house as a temporary measure as they are due to move to Islands.
In my opinion i'd almost defenitly Project Polar at Yorkshire is the best the UK has to offer. The best for each species: American Black Bear- Woburn (Only UK holder) Asiatic Black Bear- Dudley (Only UK holder) Brown Bear- Whipsnade Giant Panda- Edinburgh (Only UK holder) Polar Bear- Yorkshire (Although I will be going to Highlands soon) Malayan Sun Bear- Colchester/Edinburgh (Can't decide between the 2 at current but nothing against Chester just I think the other UK holders I have seen are slightly ahead, but this could change within a couple of months time) Spectacled Bear- Chester Sri Lankan Sloth Bear- Whipsnade (Only UK holder)
My species list goes American black bear Brown bear Polar bear Sloth bear Andean (spectacled) bear Giant panda
When I watched The Bronx Zoo I thought the Grizzly bear enclosure was quite good.What does everyone think out it?
I've seen all the bear species except Spectacled Bear. The best-looking bear (species or subspecies) I've seen is the Tibetan Blue Bear.
I've seen: American Black Bear American Brown Bear (Kodiak & Grizzly) Andean Bear Asiatic Black Bear Giant Panda Polar Bear Sloth Bear Sun Bear
Chester opened up a new habitat for their Sun Bears recently and it is an impressive sight and it is brilliant for the bears.
