Calgary Zoo's $31M expansion will include new polar bear habitat

The Calgary Zoo will spend $31 million to update its enclosures for Canadian animals, including creating a new habitat to once again house polar bears.

The redevelopment of the Zoo's Canadian Wilds section will take three years, and half of the price tag will be covered by the Alberta government, with another $8.5 million contributed by the Taylor Family Foundation.

The redevelopment will create larger and more complex habitats across the 21-acre space, and will include new habitats for otters, caribou and whooping cranes.

The plan is to bring stressed polar bears and orphaned cubs, and to raise them here and give them a comfortable home for the rest of their lives.-Don Taylor, philanthropist

The zoo said the redevelopment is part of the zoo's effort to focus on conservation in Canada's Arctic.

"The Arctic is melting ... I think we have a role to play to tell the story about what's happening in the wild, and also what is our responsibility to support some of those species," Calgary Zoo CEO Clement Lanthier said.

"It is important because this is giving us the opportunity to raise awareness about climate change and what's happening, also, with the bears and other species in the Arctic."

He said the zoo hopes to welcome three to four bears with a history of problematic interactions with humans, or bears that have been orphaned. 

Last polar bear was pacing, given antidepressant

There have not been polar bears at the zoo since 1999, when the controversial exhibit was shut down after the death of Misty. The bear was suffering from arthritis and had reportedly been given Prozac, an antidepressant, to control its pacing and erratic behaviour. 

The zoo briefly cared for two orphaned polar bear cubs in the early 2000s, before they were transferred to a zoo in Quebec.

Don Taylor, of the Taylor Family Foundation, said he had fond memories of visiting the zoo's polar bears in the 1940s. 

"My favourite exhibit was the polar bear. It consisted of a cage that I'm guessing with my fading memory was 20 feet wide and maybe 50 feet deep, with some kind of shelter in the back and a pool at the front," he said.

Taylor said he later realized that the bears at the zoo were probably not happy. He said the new facility will give them more space to roam, and exposure to a variety of different environments. 

"They like to see the horizon, I'm told. This new facility will end up providing that," he said. "The plan is to bring stressed polar bears and orphaned cubs, and to raise them here and give them a comfortable home for the rest of their lives. And also to give the public a chance to see a true Canadian icon."

There are more than 300 bears in captivity around the world, according to Bear Conservation UK. The organization states that bears require at least an acre of land per bear, spaces to socialize with other bears and private spaces, water to swim in, rocks to climb and air conditioned indoor areas. 

Lanthier said the habitat will provide a variety of surfaces and features to keep the bears comfortable and engaged. 

The zoo said it's anticipated the redevelopment will grow its annual revenues by $13.4 million to more than $65 million, and create 240 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs at the zoo. 

It's raising money for future phases of the expansion, which will see new habitats for bison, prairie dogs, grizzlies, cougars and northern leopard frogs. 

The Calgary Zoo has more than 800 animals, and is the most visited zoo in the country with more than 1.3 million visitors each year.