Our Facility
Location
Located just 250kms south of the James Bay and the Southern most tip of the polar bears' range, The Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat provides a home for those bears which cannot survive on their own in the wild.
With approximately 24 acres of sub-arctic boreal forest, our bears enjoy natural substrates and vegetation, as well as a 10 acre spring-fed lake which provides a naturally occurring ice platform for 6 months of the year.
Our bears experience seasonal weather changes similar to that of their wild counterparts. In the heat of the summer, the bears are less active. They prefer to stay cool by sleeping in the air-conditioned holding building or resting in a shaded part of their enclosure. With the arrival of cooler weather in the fall, the bears tend to be more active, showing increased interactions with enrichment items and each other.
While we cannot guarantee you will see a bear, visitors are encouraged to allow themselves time to explore our expansive grounds, learn about polar bears through the interactive displays in the Viewers Building, and attend the educational talk presented by our animal care staff.
The Bears
The bears in our care are provided with the highest standard of care and are free to spend their days doing as they wish. We provide them with the freedom and choice to sleep, eat, swim and play when ever they choose.
We also provide them with a range of behavioral enrichment activities to keep both their minds and bodies stimulated.
To maintain variability in their day, there are no set feeding times or scheduled bear activities. As such, we cannot guarantee you will see a feeding session or bear during your visit. We encourage you to allow adequate time to explore the grounds, giving you the best chance of seeing the bears.