Polar bears arrive in Calgary ahead of new enclosure opening

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is now home to two male polar bears from Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo, Baffin (left) and Siku (right).

The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo says the facility's new polar bears have arrived.

The two male polar bears – six-year-old Baffin and seven-year-old Siku – flew to Calgary from Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo aboard a WestJet cargo flight, along with zoo staff.

In a social media post, the Calgary Zoo says the bears touched down safe and sound.

"The two bears are settling in well and are spending time exploring their new home," reads the post.

The bears will live in a newly-built exhibit in the Canadian Wilds area, now renamed "Wild Canada."

The $31-million project, announced in 2021, marks the first time that polar bears will live at the Calgary Zoo since 1999.

Both Baffin and Siku were orphaned at less than a year old.

Zoo officials say in both cases, the bears were spotted wandering alone in the Churchill area in Manitoba. As research shows that polar bear cubs less than a year old cannot survive on their own, the decision was made to bring them into human care.

Over the next several weeks, Baffin and Siku will spend time together in the polar bear enclosure's courtyard and main habitat as they begin to familiarize themselves with the space and build trust with their keepers.

The redeveloped Wild Canada area, including Baffin and Siku’s new home, opens to the public on Dec. 1.

Officials say the bears' expansive habitat includes tree-filled grassy meadows, rock features, several pools ranging in depth from three to five metres and a wading stream.