Birthday treats for Highland Wildlife Park polar pair
Not everyone will have welcomed the first heavy snow of winter falling in the strath this week, but there are two creatures who are sure to have enjoyed the chilly turn.
Highland Wildlife Park’s resident polar bears have been in their snowy element, and were given another treat this week – icy birthday cakes!
Walker and Arktos have turned six and seven years old respectively, and were the happy recipients of frozen cakes filled with their favourite foods, including sardines, carrots, apples and nuts.
The cakes were attached to ropes and tied to trees in their enclosure, meaning the bears had lots of fun pulling them down and pouncing on them – the same behaviour shown by wild bears when they break through the ice to get to seals in the Arctic.
Walker and Arktos are the only polar bears in a public collection in Scotland, and a female bear will be joining the Highland Wildlife Park collection in spring next year.
Work is currently being carried out on the new female polar bear enclosure at the opposite end of the park in preparation for her arrival. The intention is to mirror wild polar bear behaviour and only put an adult pair together during the breeding season.