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Conservation Impact
Great Bear Wilderness was designed with conservation in mind. This is evident in the interpretive signs and multimedia presentations throughout the exhibit, which tell the stories of threatened species and habitats and invite guests to take action on behalf of wildlife.
Conservation Highlights Include:
- Energy-saving features built into the very structure of the exhibit. And last but far from least, the Chicago Zoological Society commitment to conservation is evident in the great care taken to provide the animals in the exhibit with an optimal environment and plentiful enrichment opportunities.
- Great Bear Wilderness provides animals with opportunities to taste, smell, and interact with their environment—by grazing, rubbing on trees, swimming, digging in dirt, and climbing on boulders.
- Interpretation throughout the exhibit communicates a commitment to helping protect grizzly bears, polar bears, bald eagles, and bison as well as their habitats by partnering with conservation organizations such as The Vital Ground Foundation, Polar Bears International, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, and the American Prairie Foundation.
- The expansive exhibit allows an expansion of the CZS husbandry program, including polar bear breeding, for the benefit of populations living in North American zoos.
- The bear exhibit allows keepers to rotate the grizzly bears and polar bears among three habitats, thus providing the animals with a variety of environments to explore on different days.
- Three connected pools and a 15-foot-high waterfall in the bear habitats enrich the animals’ environment.
Behind the Scenes
- Extensive off-exhibit animal space provides enrichment opportunities and allows keepers to meet any special needs, including those of pregnant and nursing animals.
- Each of the six off-exhibit bear dens has a skylight to allow natural light in.
- A maternity den with a mounted camera allows keepers to observe mom andcub(s) without disturbing them.
- The exhibit’s filtration system uses ozone to purify the water from the three bear pools. Water is safely recycled, saving millions of gallons a year.
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