Orphaned polar bears get new home

The two orphaned polar bears who were captured near Kuujjuaq in September are to have a new permanent home in Quebec. Next March, the two will settle into the wildlife zoo in St-Félicien, north of Quebec City.

Sam Hamad, Quebec’s minister of natural resources, made the announcement last week in Quebec City.

“This is an arrangement that will meet the needs of all those who are involved,” Hamad said.

The bears have been staying at Quebec City’s zoo, but according to Elaine Dumais, a spokesperson for the zoo, the St-Félicien facility will be able to offer the bears more space as they grow larger.

The two will spend the winter at the Calgary zoo, and return in the spring to their new home.

The bears still don’t officially have names. A contest was held to choose names, but the winning names have not been finalized, Dumais said.

In their efforts to find the best home for the two bears, the two Quebec zoos worked with the Calgary Zoo, the Centre for Polar Bears Conservation and Educational Habitat in Cochrane, Ont., and Quebec’s centre for northern conservation, the Centre de Conservation de la Biodiversité Boréale.