| Polar Bear Shores | |
|---|---|
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| Sea World (Australia) | |
| Coordinates | 27°57′24″S153°25′28″E / 27.956707°S 153.424536°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Cost | AU$6 million |
| Opening date | 26 December 2000 |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Polar bear exhibit |
| Designer | Sea World |
| Theme | Arctic summer |
 Wheelchair accessible | |
Polar Bear Shores is a polar bear exhibit at the Sea World theme park on the Gold Coast, Australia. [1] [2] As of 2023, the exhibit features three polar bears.
In 1997, Sea World began planning and designing Polar Bear Shores. [3] On 26 December 2000, [4] Polar Bear Shores officially opened to the public featuring two polar bears, Ping Ping and Kanook. [5] Following its opening, several polar bears were introduced to the exhibit while others were sent to other zoos for breeding programs. [3] [6]
On May 9, 2013, Sea World celebrated their first polar bear birth, later revealed to be a male named Henry. [7] [8] Television monitors with a live stream to the maternity den were added to the exhibit shortly after. [9] In July 2013, Sea World announced a $1.5 million expansion of Polar Bear Shores to allow Liya and her cub to be displayed separately from Nelson and Hudson. [10] The expanded exhibit, dubbed Polar Pre-School, opened on 21 September 2013. [11] [12] Sculpt Studios was involved in the design of the extension. [13]
Polar Bear Shores encompasses two public exhibits as well as back-of-house facilities. The main exhibit opened in 2000, with the secondary exhibit, dubbed Polar Pre-School opening in 2013. The public exhibits are themed to an Arctic summer. [3] [11]
The main public exhibit features three viewing areas: underwater, water-level and above-water. An array of educational signs are located in the viewing areas and along the paths between them. A large salt water pool encompasses much of the area with depths of between 1 and 4 metres (3 ft 3 in and 13 ft 1 in). Smaller fresh water pools also exist. A rocky environment fills the rest of the exhibit. A sprinkler system allows the simulation of rain in the covered exhibit. Five large fans, similar to those used in the production of movies, allows the wind speed to be regulated. Mist is used to reduce the air temperature. [3]
The back-of-house facilities include five dens for the polar bears to sleep in when not in the main public exhibit. This is in addition to a maternity den. There is also one exercise yard which is a smaller area containing similar elements to the main exhibit. The exhibit has a dedicated food preparation area and a keeper's office for the monitoring of the bears. [14] An upcharge behind the scenes tour is available under Sea World's Animal Adventures program. [15]
Since its opening in 2000, Polar Bear Shores has been home to eight different polar bears. As of 2017 [update] four polar bears (Liya, Hudson, Nelson, and Mishka) live in Sea World's Polar Bear Shores.
The polar bear is a large bear native to the Arctic and surrounding areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear, with adult males weighing 300–800 kg (700–1,800 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic, as adult females are much smaller. The polar bear is white- or yellowish-furred with black skin and a thick layer of fat. It is more slenderly built than the brown bear, with a narrower skull, longer neck and lower shoulder hump. Its teeth are sharper and more adapted to cutting meat. The paws are large and allow the bear to walk on ice and paddle in the water.
The Saint Louis Zoo, officially known as the Saint Louis Zoological Park, is a zoo in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. It is recognized as a leading zoo in animal management, research, conservation, and education. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Admission is free based on a public subsidy from a cultural tax district, the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District (ZMD); fees are charged for some special attractions. A special feature is the 2 ft narrow-gauge Emerson Zooline Railroad with passenger trains pulled by Chance Rides C.P. Huntington locomotives that encircle the zoo, stopping at the more popular attractions.
The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, housing 4,000 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies on 100 acres (40 ha) of Balboa Park leased from the City of San Diego. Its parent organization, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, is a private nonprofit conservation organization, and has one of the largest zoological membership associations in the world, with more than 250,000 member households and 130,000 child memberships, representing more than a half million people.
Sea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It offers attractions such as rides and animal exhibits and promotes conservation through education and the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. The park is commercially linked to Warner Bros. Movie World and Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast as part of the theme park division of Village Roadshow. The park has no affiliation with an American park chain of a similar name.
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Misha, also known as Mishka or The Olympic Mishka, is the name of the Russian Bear mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. He was designed by children's books illustrator Victor Chizhikov.
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The Louisville Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Louisville Zoo, is a 134-acre (54 ha) zoo in Louisville, Kentucky, situated in the city's Poplar Level neighborhood. Founded in 1969, the "State Zoo of Kentucky" currently exhibits over 1,200 animals in naturalistic and mixed animal settings representing both geographical areas and Biomes or habitats.
Warner Bros. Movie World is a theme park on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Owned and operated by Village Roadshow Theme Parks, the park opened on 3 June 1991. It is part of a 154-hectare (380.5-acre) entertainment precinct, with the adjacent Village Roadshow Studios and nearby Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast, among other sites operated by Village Roadshow. Movie World is Australia's only film-related theme park and the oldest of the Warner Bros. parks worldwide. As of 2016, it receives a yearly average of 1.4 million visitors.
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Utah's Hogle Zoo is a 42-acre (17 ha) zoo located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It houses animals from diverse ecosystems. It is located at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. Hogle is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
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