Personally, I have seen: Brown Bear (Grizzly [Toronto]), American Black Bear [Calgary], Asiatic Black Bear [Granby], Polar Bear [Toronto], Sun Bear [Atlanta], Sloth Bear [Washington, D.C.], Spectacled (or Andean) Bear [Cincinnati], and Giant Panda [Toronto]. Yes, I have seen all 8 bear species!
I have seen all 8 in the UK: Brown - Whipsnade / Wildwood / Dartmoor (one of who's is rumoured to be a Syrian Brown Bear - she certainly looks like one) American Black - Woburn Asiatic Black - Dudley Zoo Polar - Yorkshire Wildlife Park Sun Bear - Colchester Zoo / Edinburgh Zoo / Chester Zoo Sloth - Whipsnade Spectacled / Andean - Chester / Noahs Ark Giant Panda - Edinburgh
The information I read at the park stated that Fudge's heritage was not known for certain - I don't know if anything came of the DNA examination referenced though. "Whilst records from London Zoo indicate that she is a European Brown Bear, her physical characteristics suggest that she is actually a Syrian Brown Bear. Staff are working with experts at Plymouth University examining her DNA to establish her true heritage."
Very generally speaking: Polar: Bronx, Ueno, Leningrad, Rhenen, Berlin Zoo, Berlin Tierpark Sun: Edinburgh, Colchester, Chester, Belfast, Phnom Tamao, Ueno, Bali Zoo, Bali Safari, Bali Elephant Camp, Madrid, Arnhem, Rhenen, Berlin Tierpark, Münster, Cologne Asiatic Black: Ueno, Phnom Tamao, Wroclaw, Madrid, Berlin Zoo Sloth: Berlin Zoo Spectacled: Chester, Belfast, Queens, Berlin Tierpark Panda: Edinburgh, Ueno, Shenzhen, Madrid, Rhenen, Berlin Zoo Brown: Bronx, Central Park, Ueno, Wroclaw, Shenzhen, Rhenen, Münster, Cologne American Black: Leningrad, Madrid, Berlin Tierpark
Likewise, I have seen the following in living memory: Polar = Artis, Dierenrijk, Blijdorp, Ouwehands, Bronx, Central Park American black = Woburn, Madrid Asiatic black = Dierenrijk, Pairi Daiza, Madrid Sun = Chester, Colchester, Edinburgh, Burgers', Ouwehands, Madrid, Matang Wildlife Centre Sloth = London, Whipsnade, Beekse Bergen, Artis Spectacled = Chester, Artis, Antwerp, Port Lympne, Duisburg, Madrid Panda = Edinburgh, Madrid, Ouwehands, Pairi Daiza Brown = Dierenrijk, Ouwehands, Bronx, Central Park, Whipsnade, Madrid, Emmen (Zoo, not Wildlands) If we're going into subspecies currently present in Europe, I have seen both subspecies of sloth (Indian at Artis and SBB, Sri Lankan at London and then at Whipsnade after they moved there), 2/3 types of Asiatic black (non-sub and 'Normal' as ZTL lists it), and 4/8 brown (European brown, non-sub, grizzly and Kodiak) though I visited Artis around the time they had Syrian brown I do not remember seeing them, and therefore have not counted the taxon. I must also admit that, though ZTL lists Ouwehands' brown bears as all European brown, some could easily be Syrian, Kamchatka or Ussuri...
Very nice - I’m quite jealous! Both Matang Wildlife Centre and Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre are pretty high on my list.
I was far more excited about the bushy-crested hornbills, Bornean white-bearded gibbons, Bornean clouded leopard, masked palm civet and Bornean binturong that I saw at Matang, but seeing so many orangutans and sun bears (I think I counted at least nine of the former and seven of the latter) was pretty cool too!
To be honest, anywhere at all that houses just Asian species is pretty exciting for me! But I have a certain thing for Sinead the sun bear at Matang, I’m not gonna lie.
Might as well do this..... Holdings which are no longer present in italics: Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) - Edinburgh Zoo Malayan Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) - Tierpark Berlin, Zoo Berlin, Zoo Jihlava, Chester Zoo, Colchester Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo Sri Lankan Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus inornatus) - ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Indian Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus ursinus) - Zoo Berlin, Zoo Leipzig Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) - Chester Zoo, South Lakes Zoo, Tierpark Berlin, Wilhelma American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) - Tierpark Berlin, Woburn Safari Park Non-subspecific Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) - Tierpark Hellabrunn, Zoo Berlin European Brown Bear (Ursus arctos arctos) - Zoo Augsburg, Wildpark Schwarze Berge, Innsbruck Alpenzoo, Zoo Plzen, Zoopark Chomutov, Wildwood Trust, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Heythrop Zoo, Highland Wildlife Park, Five Sisters Zoo, Welsh Mountain Zoo Kamchatka Brown Bear (Ursus arctos beringianus) - Tierpark Hagenbeck Syrian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) - Wilhelma Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) - Tierpark Berlin, Zoo Berlin, Zoo am Meer, Tierpark Hagenbeck, Zoo Hannover, Tierpark Hellabrunn, Tiergarten Nürnberg, Wilhelma, Zoo Praha, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Flamingo Land, Highland Wildlife Park Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) - Zoo Berlin, Muncaster Castle, Heythrop Zoo, Dudley Zoo
I've managed to see all eight species of bear - I have also shown holdings at which the species is absent in italics. The collections are listed roughly in the order I saw them in: Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) - Edinburgh Zoo Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) - Edinburgh Zoo, Colchester Zoo, Burgers Zoo, Rare Species Conservation Centre Sri Lankan sloth bear (Melursus ursinus inornatus) - ZSL London, ZSL Whipsnade (the same individuals) Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) - South Lakes Zoo, Jersey Zoo Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) - Colchester Zoo American black bear (Ursus americanus) - Woburn Safari Park Non-subspecific Brown bear (Ursus arctos) - Amersfoort Zoo European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) - ZSL Whipsnade, Wildwood Trust Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) - Colchester Zoo, Wilhelma Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) - Flamingo Land, Wilhelma, Edinburgh
I guess I should update this as after my Berlin trip in February I can now confirm I have seen every species of bear!
Brown Bear (many types, including grizzlies) Malayan Sun Bear American Black Bear Spectacled Bear Polar Bear Asiatic Black Bear Giant Panda Sloth Bear Oh! That's all 8!
Unfortunately, so far I have only seen: Andean Bear - Belfast Zoo Malayan Sun Bear - Belfast Zoo Polar Bear - Yorkshire Wildlife Park
I've seen all species of bear, but one still don't photographed, the sloth bear, because it was too far from the enclosure limit. Ailuropoda melanoleuca (Giant panda). Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2008. Berlin zoo-aquarium. 2011. San Diego zoo. 2016. Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2017 Helarctos malayanus (Sun bear). Taipei zoo. 2006. Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2008. Berlin tierpark. 2011. Cologne zoo. 2017 Melursus ursinus (Sloth bear). London zoo. 2006. Berlin zoo-aquarium. 2011 Tremarctos ornatus (Spectacled bear). Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2008. Duisburg zoo. 2017 Ursus americanus (American black bear). Berlin tierpark. 2011 Ursus arctos (Brown bear). Cabarceno (before 2000). Madrid zoo-aquarium (before 2000). Skansen. 1999. Barcelona zoo. 2011. Plzen zoo. 2013. San Diego zoo. 2016 (subspecies horribilis). Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2017. Wuppertal zoo. 2017. Probably other zoos. Ursus maritimus (Polar bear). Magdalena park Santander (before 2000). Tierpark Hellabrunn. 2012. Prague zoo. 2013. Seaworld San Diego. 2016. Wuppertal zoo. 2017 Ursus thibetanus (Asiatic black bear). Taipei zoo. 2006 (subspecies formosanus). Berlin zoo-aquarium. 2011. Madrid zoo-aquarium. 2017
My list: Polar Bear London Whipsnade Bristol Chessington Chester Copenhagen Edinburgh Yorkshire wildlife Park Tierpark Berlin Zoo Berlin Giant Panda London Edinburgh Asiatic Black Bear London Linton Poole Park Colchester Dudley Wingham Zoo Berlin American Black Bear London Woburn Tierpark Berlin Spectacled Bear Chester Port Lympne Tierpark Berlin Duisburg Sun Bear RSCC Colchester Edinburgh Chester Tierpark Berlin Cologne Sloth Bear London Whipsnade Zoo Berlin Brown Bear London Whipsnade ( including Kodiak ) Chester Welsh Mountain Colchester Copenhagen Pistoia Cologne (Grizzly) I may have seen a few others at Bristol /Chessington but can't really remember and must have seen the Spectacled Bear at Whipsnade, as I'm told they were near the Jaguars, which I definitely remember seeing on a few visits between the age of 7-12, maybe 14
The Whipsnade spectacled bears were previously at London Zoo; it's probable that you saw the very same specimens there too, as they were still in London the year you saw the polar bear cub "Pipaluk" for the first time.
Does anyone know which zoos in Europe hold the largest number of bear species? Is it: Madrid 5: Giant Panda, Asian Black bears, American black bear, european brown bears and sun bears (saw spectacled on my first visit but I assume they have gone?) Berlin 6: brown bear, giant panda, sloth bear, polar bear, asian black bear Berlin tierparc: sun bear, polar bear, spectacled bear (do they hold american black bears outside the zoo still i know they had 2 elderly individuals before) Thanks!
