LAR BEAR CUB..
Cub will be given everything... but not right habitat
POPULAR Kids with Brumas in pram Wildlife expert & TV presenter
I REMEMBER seeing bears in London Zoo as a small child.
They lived a miserable existence in horrible concrete bunkers and were literally kept behind bars.
Conditions have improved significantly across Britain since then.
The enclosure at Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie is large and has pools for the baby polar bear.
I have visited it and seen the polar bears, which are in good health.
I like the work they do at Kingussie and the people who work there.
However, you could argue the whole site should be made into an enclosure for polar bears because I just don’t think you can make one big enough.
CLIMATE
In the wild, they roam thousands of kilometres and live in a climate that we just cannot reproduce here.
The more we learn about animals there are certain species I think we should be phasing out of zoos. I think polar bears may be among them.
I would like to see them phased out because I don’t think we can offer conditions to satisfy their natural behavioural requirements.
In Britain, an enormous amount of effort goes into looking after zoo animals and people should not doubt the level of care the cub will receive.
It will be absolutely pampered and the vets will be all over it. But ultimately, we will never be able to replicate a frozen waste with icebergs – and that remains a central problem of keeping polar bears in captivity.
Chris Packham is a TV presenter and runs animal rescue charity The Wildheart Trust on the Isle of Wight. CAGED Brumas did not thrive in zoo