Go Eye-to-Eye with Iconic North American Animals at Brookfield

Go Eye-to-Eye with Iconic North American Animals at Brookfield Zoo’s Great Bear Wilderness

State-of-the-Art Naturalistic Habitat Opens May 8, 2010

BROOKFIELD, Ill., May 5 - Great Bear Wilderness, presented by Dominick’s, a new naturalistic 7.5-acre habitat featuring iconic North American animals—polar bears, grizzly bears, Mexican gray wolves, bald eagles, bison, and a raven—opens at Brookfield Zoo on Saturday, May 8.  As guests stroll along the exhibit’s walkway, they will learn about the animals’ past, present, and future, their deep cultural significance, and the survival challenges they face.

“The state-of-the-art Great Bear Wilderness is the culmination of our efforts to provide the very best in animal welfare, education, and guest experience,” said Stuart Strahl, Ph.D., CEO and president of the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS), which manages the zoo. “The conservation message is that through timely action, people can restore nature and even bring species back from the brink of extinction. We hope Great Bear Wilderness and its inhabitants will inspire people to take action by making changes in their everyday life to help ensure that these creatures and their natural habitats will flourish for future generations.”

Over the past 150 years, Mexican gray wolves were hunted to extinction in the wild, grizzly bear and bison populations were eliminated over 98 percent of their range in the lower 48 states, and bald eagles were placed on the Endangered Species List. The fate of polar bears is closely linked to climate change, and they are now considered vulnerable by the World Conservation Union and threatened on the Endangered Species List. Collaborative conservation efforts have helped to recover these species and their habitats. Bison are now the focus of restoration of the Great Plains ecoregion. Grizzly bears are making a comeback in the northern Rocky Mountains, and Mexican gray wolves have been reintroduced to the Southwest United States and Mexico. Bald eagles have recovered dramatically over the past 30 years and are now off the Endangered Species List.

As guests begin their adventure through the National Park-like experience, they encounter bison exhibited in a vast prairie setting. A pathway leads to a tunnel that features graphics illustrating the history of bison on the Great Plaines. The sound of a bison stampede adds to the ambience.

Moving along the pathway, zoogoers can view the United States’ national symbol—bald eagles—which share exhibit space with a raven, a cultural symbol of a divine creator to some and a cunning trickster to others.

The Mexican gray wolf habitat follows the birds’ outdoor aviary. There, guests can have unforgettable viewing opportunities of the wolves from outdoors or inside the viewing building through a large one-way window. The exhibit features hands-on experiences that foster a better understanding of wolves, their behaviors, and why an ecosystem is much healthier with them.

Continuing along, forest and tundra landscapes come into view, and guests come upon three separate habitats for polar bears and grizzly bears. Each space has its own pool containing between 78,000 and 80,000 gallons of water. Zoogoers are able to see into two of the pools through 21-foot-wide by 8- and 10-foot-high windows located in an underwater viewing area. The third habitat has a 15-foot-high waterfall that spills into three connected pools. Additionally, the bears’ environments contain vegetation and fallen trees, natural substrate and topography, and a sand dig area.

After passing the first bear habitat, the pathway leads zoogoers to the 3,600-square-foot underwater viewing area, where they will be immersed in an Arctic setting with views of the pools on opposite sides and a portion of the floor painted to resemble crystal blue water with ice floes. In addition, a monitor will feature video about efforts by CZS’s conservation colleagues—American Prairie Foundation, Polar Bears International, The Vital Ground Foundation, and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative—to protect the bears and bison and their habitats.

The bears’ section of Great Bear Wilderness features graphics illustrating the importance of having healthy grizzly bear and polar bear populations in the wild, how climate change is affecting polar bears, actions people can take to help save the bears, as well as the Chicago Zoological Society’s role in advancing polar bear care and husbandry.

Through CZS’s programmatic Center for the Science of Animal Welfare, staff is always striving to provide the animals at Brookfield Zoo with the best care possible, and the off-exhibit facilities at Great Bear Wilderness are no exception. Behind the scenes, there are six bear dens with skylights to allow in natural light, a built-in floor scale to monitor the bears’ weights, a polar bear maternity den designed in the shape and dimensions of actual dens in the wild, a shallow pool to allow a polar bear mom to teach her cub(s) to swim, and a 1,050-square-foot outdoor grassy dig area.

The $27.3 million Great Bear Wilderness, which was funded by many generous individual donors, also features a gift shop and a restaurant.

Celebrating its 75th year, the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, inspires conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature. Open every day of the year, Brookfield Zoo is located off First Avenue between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways and is also accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, CTA, and PACE bus service.

Note: Images of Great Bear Wilderness and its inhabitants may be downloaded at the Great Bear Wilderness online media kit at http://www.GreatBearWilderness.com.

Source: Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo
 

CONTACT:  Sondra Katzen, Public Relations, +1-708-688-8351,
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Web Site:  http://www.czs.org/