What fun it is to play with a moose leg…..
Sep 7th, 2009 | By mervi | Category: Featured articles7.9.2009 – Press release from Orsa Grönklitt, The awesome photos by Anders Björklund
In May 2009 the two polar bears Wilbär (from Germany) and Eva (from Netherlands) came to the newly opened Polar World in Orsa Björnpark – the biggest polar bear enclosure in the world.
After their move from Central Europe both bears have accommodated very well to their new surroundings in a cooler climate with vaste area and own fishing lake.
When Wilbär and Eva arrived the ice berg was still there and lasted until the beginning of July. Wilbär learnt very fast how to slide! Soon it will be time again for snow and ice in their enclosure. During next winter a huge ice berg will be built with real snow and with a little help of a snowgun. Our ambition is that the bears will have snow in their enclosure during 9 months per year!
Wilbär and Eva have become very skilful fish catchers. Every week 20-30 trout salmons are released in the pond. Sometimes they fish together, sometimes Eva watches Wilbär fishing or vice versa …. or they fish in separate spots.
The polar bear keepers have a daily programme working with different kinds of enrichment of the activities for the bears in addition to the great variation the area with hills and ponds offers. This enrichment of activities can be opening boxes containing food, playing with coconuts or water melons in the water, tracking fishliver oil or playing with a moose leg….
These are just a few examples of the daily efforts by the keepers to keep Wilbär and Eva activated, to give them stimulation and variation in their daily life in the Polar World.
In the enclosure there are lots of blue berries and the bears love to roll on them!! That means that we sometimes have blue striped polar bears.
Eva and Wilbär often sleep very close each other on their favourite hillock.
At the moment Wilbär – who was 1,5 years old when he arrived to Orsa – weighs about 235 kilos. He weighed 160 kilos by his arrival. Eva – who was 3,5 years old by her arrival has increased her weight from 180 to 220 kilos.
On the photos you can see Eva and Wilbär playing with a moose leg in one of their ponds. You can read the original press release in Swedish after the photos.
Tänk vad ett älgben kan roa en isbjörn…….
I maj månad 2009 kom isbjörnarna Wilbär (från Tyskland) och Eva (från Holland) till Orsa Björnpark, och nyöppnade Polar World-världens största isbjörnsanläggning.
Under sommaren har isbjörnarna anpassat sig till sitt nya stora hem i ett kallare klimat och med stora ytor och badvatten efter flytten från centraleuropa. Vid ankomsten till Orsa fanns ett snöberg som varade fram tills början av juli månad. -Wilbär lärde sig snabbt att åka rutchbana!
Nu väntar snart ett halvt år med snö och is i hägnet! Under kommande vinter kommer ett stort snöberg att byggas upp i höget med hjälp av snökanoner. -Målsättningen är att Isbjörnarna ska ha snö i hägnet 9 månader under det kommande året!
Björnarna har nu lärt sig att fiska själva: 20-30 levande öringar släpps ut varje vecka i dammen. Ibland fiskar dom tillsammans…..Då kan man se den ena björnen vakta samtidigt som den andra jagar fiskarna, eller, -så fiskar dom var och en för sig!
Isbjörnsskötarna har ett dagligt program där man jobbar med olika former av miljöberikning utöver den variation det stora området med höjder, dammar osv ger. Detta handlar om att öppna kartonger med mat, att leka med kokosnötter i vattnet, vattenmeloner, att följa spår av fiskleverolja, Att leka med älgben osv osv. Detta är bara exempel på dagliga insatser som görs av isbjörnsskötarna för att skapa sysselsättning, stimulans och variation för isbjörnarna i Polar World.
I hägnet växer blåbär som Isbjörnarna rullar sig i……..-Det innebär att vi vissa dagar har blårandiga isbjörnar!
Isbjörnarna sover ofta tätt intill varandra i hägnet på deras favoritkulle.
I dagsläget har Wilbär som var 1,5 år gammal vid ankomsten till Orsa vuxit till drygt 235 kilo (han vägde ca 160 kilo vid ankomsten) och Eva som var 3,5 år vid ankomsten till Polar World har ökat sin kroppsvikt till drygt 220 kilo (ca 180 kilo vid ankomsten).
Se bifogade bildserie när Eva och Wilbär leker med ett älgben vid ett av sina badvatten!
Bilderna finns också att ladda upp för fri publicering på www.orsagronklitt.se/polarworld.
Kontakta gärna chefen för isbjörnsskötarna Pernilla Thalin för ytterligare information.
Med vänliga hälsningar.
Torbjörn Wallin
VD
+46 (0)70 649 1289
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- Love Story in Orsa – Part 2 15.9.2009 – Press release from Orsa Grönklitt, Photos by Anders...
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Dear Mervi,
Oh wow!! What a report–thank you so much for getting it to us and translating it for us! Those are two lucky bears–lucky for the fabulous facility but also lucky because they like each other. Blue-striped bears–a great make-up! They get 20-30 trout salmons/week! [Do you think if Lars were there he would try to keep all 20-30 salmon for himself!!]
Thanks again, Mervi
Bear hugs, Sarsam
Oh my! One can see Anton’s and Corinna’s perfect genes in Wilbar now. He’s stunning with such a healthy, wholesome appearance. I can’t believe my eyes. Move over Anton – this young heartbreaker is about to replace you my brother. Ewa is still a tad slim but she probably won’t ever grow to be a hefty, well rounded bear like Gia. But she’s lovely. They are so happy and in harmony with their surroundings. I wish all over beloved polar bears could live in a place like this…so idyllic ( minus the moose foot of course).
Thanks Mervi for sharing this press release with the sensational photos.
Dear Mervi!
Thank you for translation of the Orsa report. This is really a nice place for the polar bears. Knut were very happy to catch salmons on himself. The photos are glamorous. I send greetings to the keepers from Orsa.
Dear Mervi!
Absolutely stunning report from Orsa! I am so happy for Wil and Ewa, they are such a beautiful couple and have such a happy full life. They are living the polar bear dream. Soon there will be snow and ice, and they will be in a polar heaven.
Thank you!
Dear Mervi,
thank you so much for translating and publishing that press release. I’ve got a short newsletter message from Orsa the other day but the new report wasn’t on Polarworld’s page by then.
Once again I’m deliriously happy for our suebian bear – and his meisje too of course. Me too wishes all our beloved polar bears could live in a place like this… (with lots of moose feet, Celinne, they are dead anyway; up in the north maybe they don’t have ox tails *grin*).
Grüssles from Stuttgart
Velvet
Dear Mervi,
they have joy, they have fun, they have seasons in Orsa’s sun! What happy news you present us here. It is so nice to see Wilbär again. I am glad he and Ewa get on very well.
Thanks for publising the press-release and the beautiful photoes.
Hugs, caren
Liebe Mervi,
für den Text brauche ich etwas Zeit – lese ich also später
.
Die Fotos sind großartig!!!! Ich freue mich immer wieder ,wie gut es die beiden Bären in Orsa haben. Es ist sehr schön zu sehen, wieviel Spaß die Tiere mit dem Elchbein haben.
Vielen Dank für diesen Beitrag und ganz liebe Grüße
GiselaH
Great report…Thank you so much for the translation and sharing it with all of us, Mervi! It’s incredible how fast these bears are putting on weight…
Many thanks for translating the article – my Swedish needs a bit (= a lot of) polishing … What a joy to see these two bears so happy together! LeenaP
Mervi thank you, it is very good to see they two so happy and to know that soon they will have snow and ice. I love Wilbar and to see that he is growing strong and happy it is wonderful. Orsa is a great place.