The two bears visiting the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat from the Quebec Aquarium are broadening their horizons.
Taiga and her son Eddy are staying in Cochrane while their display area is being renovated.
An anonymous donation to the Habitat allowed a gate to be built from their enclosure, to the 21-acre enclosure that includes a ten-acre lake.
Executive director Michael Honeth says they’re “thoroughly over the moon.”
“It’s interesting to see their different personalities,” he observes of the two members of ursus maritimus. “Eddy has been walking the perimeter, swimming half the time in the lake. He’s really enjoying the space. Taiga, being the kind of a bit of a social princess, she prefers hanging around the other bears – males Henry, Ganuk and Inukshuk — and the fence line where the people are.
(Heather Brouwer, Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat)
“We do keep the three male bears separate from the two of them, for now. We’ll slowly be introducing them to each other, but we don’t know if we have enough time before they leave in December for that.”
Initially, too, Taiga and Eddy are being let out separately into the lake enclosure.