The Yorkshire Wildlife Park has welcomed a new family of four today from France. Flocke and her three cubs have been making themselves at home on the reserve as part of the Project Polar after heading over from France – and we can’t wait to meet them!
A welcome addition to the park, Flocke, aged 12, and her triplets – males Indiana, (known as Indie) and Yuma, and tiny female Tala – bring the park’s polar beat total to eight including Nobby, Luka, Hamish and Sisu. The Yorkshire Wildlife’s polar bear centre is now the largest outside of Canada.
Project Polar aims to conserve the polar bear population as well as raise awareness about the issues facing polar bears. Flocke and her family came over from the south of France in a meticulously planned operation recommended by the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), which considered YWP as the best home for them.
The Yorkshire Wildlife Park’s, Dr Charlotte Macdonald, Animal Director at the park. has said: “We have been delighted to welcome the new polar bears to YWP, especially a complete family. YWP has built a reputation as a leader in polar bear welfare and conservation. The bear family are currently in quarantine in their reserve and are settling in well and we hope to be able to announce an opening date for visitors to see them soon – I am sure that our visitors can’t wait to meet them.”
“But, more importantly, these moves will help us in our campaign to ensure that polar bears can survive and prosper in the wild. The youngsters will enjoy exploring their new reserve and swimming in the lake – it will be great to see them all playing together.”
YWPF Trustee Cheryl Williams said ‘ Polar bear mothers in the wild have a hard time – impacted by oil and gas exploration but most of all by climate change and the loss of sea ice in the Arctic. Working together with YWP, the Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation will continue to work to conserve polar bears and inspire people to care about them and the Arctic. Let’s hope that seeing Flocke and her youngsters at YWP inspires people to support bears in the wild who face so many challenges and raise awareness to effect change in governments for action for climate change.”
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