Philadelphia Zoo Polar Bear on July 4th

One of the Zoo's polar bears celebrates July 4th by stretching out and relaxing in the grass. The Zoo's polar bears are fed a special healthy diet that prevents them from building up the layers of fat that protect polar bears living in their natural colder environments from the cold. So the Zoo's polar bears don't suffer any more than the rest of us during heat waves.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Philadelphia Zoo
• zoos
• polar bears
• July 4th
• 2011
• Monday

[dme257]

Ugh. This is kinda painful to watch. She's clearly miserable. And probably bored. And most likely neurotic like most wild animals kept in pens. Why is she not in the wild?

[ZooVisitorMM]

@dme257 She is definitely not miserable. Not bored, either. The keepers provide lots of enrichment for all the animals. It always amazes me how some people think life in the wild is a wonderful place that all animals love. In fact, it is not. And if you look at videos of polar bears in the wild, you will see them occasionally stretched out, as you see the one here. The difference will be that the one in the wild will probably be hungry and won't be able to be quite as relaxed.

[dme257]

@ZooVisitorMM i never said the wild is always a wonderful place nor somewhere the animals always love, and i understand and appreciate the argument that wild animals kept in captivity have foregone the agonies and hardships of hunger and violence for the sake of the safety of the cage, but i've seen far too many animals made neurotic by the confining elements of captivity for me to believe that if given a choice, they'd pick a secure cage over the dangerous freedom of the wild. know what i mean?

[ZooVisitorMM]

@dme257 Yes, I know what you mean. I definitely am not referring to the few zoos that keep their animals confined in poor conditions and do not provide enrichment items and enrichment activities when I say I believe animals have better conditions in zoos. I do believe all the Philadelphia Zoo animals are living much better lives than they would be living in the wild. And I do keep a close watch on them, as I have done since 1969. I hope this will reassure you.

[ImpalerGirl]

@ZooVisitorMM aww! that's so cool. So, is this Klondike or Coldilocks? :)

[ZooVisitorMM]

@ImpalerGirl  Their names are Klondike and Coldilocks, and they were both born in 1981. (But they are not sisters.)

[ImpalerGirl]

@ZooVisitorMM Oh they are BOTH girls?! That is awesome!! :D

[Suzan4B]

@ZooVisitorMM thank you for your reply! I feel much better to hear that.

[ZooVisitorMM]

@Suzan4B The polar bears have the choice of staying out or going inside, where it is air conditioned.

[ZooVisitorMM]

@ImpalerGirl The Zoo's polar bears are both females. It is very difficult to tell them apart unless they are standing up. They do often stand on the rock and look around at the visitors and the waterfall.