UP CLOSE WITH GRIZZLIES
One of two grizzlies at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo prowls its habitat as the facility announced that it is joining a five-year research project into grizzly bear health and conservation with the fRI Research Grizzly Bear Program of Alberta.
The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo has taken an important scientific step forward by beginning research on grizzly bear health and conservation.
The zoo formalized a five-year agreement with the Alberta nonprofit fRI Research Grizzly Bear Program to conduct conservation research in Saskatoon.
“We don’t want to be about just displaying animals in exhibits, we want to be about connecting to the wild. And this gives us that unique and great opportunity to do exactly that,” zoo manager Tim SinclairSmith said.
The work will revolve around the two grizzly bears at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo, Mistaya and Koda. They were paired as cubs at the Calgary Zoo before being transferred to Saskatoon.
The new project will be the first conservation research to take place at the zoo, Sinclair-Smith said.
The research and laboratory work will take place on-site, with wildlife health specialist and veterinarian Dr. Marc Cattet from fRI Research coordinating the program.
Sinclair-Smith said the hope of the partnership is to learn more about grizzly bear health in the wild and be a more active player in conservation efforts.
“In the past, the data or information might have been provided out to other parties doing research,” he said. “But now we actually have a conservation research and wildlife health department here, and we’ve never had that before.”
According to a news release, initial work over the next nine months will focus on genetic and hair-based analysis of the grizzlies, planning a much larger and more “naturalistic” habitat for Mistaya and Koda, and obtaining more funding for the conservation research and wildlife health department and the development of a wildlife health centre.
There’s always the messier part of studying a bear’s health and eating habits, Sinclair-Smith joked.
“Some of it’s really fun, and some of it’s research on poo,” he chuckled.
Sinclair-Smith said students and researchers of all ages will be welcome to visit and see what the bear research entails.