More Front Page >>
<< Prev | Next >>

It was a gamble — building a polar bear exhibit before they had any of the coveted animals — but it paid off for the Kansas City Zoo.

The zoo has learned it will receive a polar bear in time for the opening of a new exhibit next spring.

That’s a relief to general curator Liz Harmon, who had remained optimistic.

“I’ve been working on this for many years,” she said Monday. “We’ve been telling them (the conservation community) we’re going to open a polar bear exhibit and we’re going to need a bear.”

There are only 81 polar bears in captivity in North America and the zoo community does not just hand them out. Kansas City hasn’t had one since 1990.

Zoo director Randy Wisthoff was prepared to switch to brown bears or black bears if absolutely necessary. The public loves bears, period. But experience has shown that zoo visitors are particularly fascinated with polar bears, the largest of all bears.

Text-a-Friend >>

<< Prev | Next >>
More Front Page >>