Henry,Australian polar bear to arrive in Canada this October

Henry, the second polar bear to be born in Australia, will make the move from his home at Sea World in October to the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat.

Sea World’s Director of Marine Sciences, Trevor Long said he is confident the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat will be a happy home for Henry.

“Some wild polar bear populations are in decline and the insurance population in zoos is extremely valuable”. That will occur around the age of nine.

“Lea [Henry’s mother] is now back into breeding season and her and Nelson get on exceptionally well so next year we could have more baby polar bears on the Gold Coast”, he said.

The big, goofy and affable toddler is about 700 lbs; he will join current sub-adult male resident Ganuk, according to Polar Bear Habitat manager Karen Cummings. Ganuk is a little over five years old and weighs just over 900 lbs. The construction on an expanded enclosure is about to finish and the timing of Henry coming there coincides with it. The expanded closure will include a natural lake.

“Henry’s father Nelson was an orphaned bear rescued by the Quebec Government and with one of the best Polar bear exhibits, Sea World was chosen to house him”.

After his arrival in Canada, Henry will be placed in quarantine for a period of 30 days, to be cared for and monitored in his enclosure and allow him time to acquaint himself with the facility as well as the country’s climate.

There are approximately 100 different facilities in the world that provide human care to over 300 polar bears. “It is fitting now that his son, Henry is returning to Canada to continue to promote the global conservation efforts and strategies for polar bears and the importance of Canada, which has the largest population of wild bears, in the species”.