Highland Wildlife Park Highland wildlife park news 2018

From the park's facebook page;

First polar bear born in UK for 25 years | Highland Wildlife Park

 

How exciting ! Roll on March.

 

fantastic news!

 

And Tierpark news that the polar bear cub being lost is why this should be a muted celebration, long way to go for the cub.

 

Surprised they have announced this so soon rather than wait to see if it continues to thrive and later leave the den. May be the information was leaked so they went public anyway. And yes, its cautionary that Berlin cub born at similar time has now died...

 

Yep, curious.

I hope we see it out and about in a few months time and what a boost for the place if it survives.

 

So RZSS finally have a bear cub! Perhaps not the species they seem to want the very most, however, but I think it’s absolutely great news and a real step forward for them.

Good to see that Una Richardson is back. I really like her, I think she is excellent. Maybe she will pass some of whatever it is that she is doing on to Edinburgh.

Perhaps it will be a panda cub next? Perhaps it will be a sun bear cub next?

 

What wonderful news!

Fingers and toes crossed all is well with the cub, but it's such an achievement regardless.

It's another example of how good HWP is.

Just to think, since Edinburgh got the pandas HWP have had a couple of tiger litters, wolf cubs AND now polar bear cub(s)...

 

Not really, Tierpark have lost several cubs over the last couple of years. While goods news they have potential breeding situation, it is not successful unless the cub/s are reared.

We all want a successful outcome but there is huge hurdles to get over before that is the case here.

 

I believe that it means that things are moving in the right direction.

They may have been infertile. They may have failed to mate. They may have been unproductive. So many hurdles passed already.

A surviving cub is the next one!

 

It's the first big sign that the set up works. Bringing Arktos, or Walker, over to Victoria and keeping all three bears in the park works. Hopefully now the cub will be strong enough and healthy enough to survive.

It was wonderful enough to see Walker roaming around the enclosure with Mercedes (I was lucky enough to be at HWP the day they were introduced for the first time), to see an actual cub lolling around is something my late husband would have dearly loved to see.

And he did say they'd have Polar Bear cubs before Edinburgh had panda cubs, he was right! It's just a great pity it couldn't have happened 1 year earlier so he could see it.

 

When I was there about 3 years ago it was when they only had the two boys. They said they hoped to breed in the future but they were a bit concerned about "Knut" madness and whether their infrastructure would cope with the extra visitors. Heres hoping they get the chance to find out later this year. I am due a visit I feel.

 

Great news for HWP. One of my favourite zoos. I see an impromptu child free trip coming to see the cubs

 

I think they are in a much better position now. They've got the pedestrian walkway from the entrance so visitors who arrive via public transport don't need to be collected by the landrover at the gates (the walkway also covers the overflow carpark).

There's also the Polar Express for drinks/snacks plus the extra extra toilets in the car park area (I believe there are some new ones down at the pedestrian walkway as well now) so the cafe (renovated recently) doesn't get as overwhelmed as it used too when everyone descends for food at once. The play area is improved.

Even little things like there are a few more benches around etc.

 

They do seem to have some success in breeding carnivores. Fingers crossed for the off-show Amur leopards

 

Some images of design work done by LDN Architects as part of the development plan for HWP.

"LDN Architects were part of a team of consultants including business planners, landscape architects, interpretation designers and cost consultants responsible for preparing a development plan for the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie.

The proposals addressed a number of issues including car parking, visitor reception facilities, education and interpretation, and circulation routes around the park. LDN prepared concept designs for the main visitor centre and visitor “hubs” placed around the park."

 

The polar bear cub has emerged from it's den with mother Victoria for the first time.



Polar bear cub emerges at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park | Highland Wildlife Park

 

Just seen an advert for "Britain's Polar Bear Cub" on channel 4 next Sunday at 7pm.

Well done to HWP for cleverly having a camera following the keepers and capitalising on this. That's obviously why the motion sensor cameras were put in place.

Can't wait to see it!

 

Interesting the trailer showed cameras inside the den. I wonder if the 'we don't know how many cubs' was a bluff?