This week we’re celebrating Polar Bear Week (27th October – 2nd November), which was founded by our partners Polar Bear International. First held over 10 years ago, the annual event coincides with the time when polar bears have congregated on the shores of Hudson Bay near Churchill, Canada, to wait for the sea ice to return so they can hunt.
This year, the charity is raising funds to support coexistence projects and conservation efforts across the Arctic. With polar bears spending more time onshore, human-bear encounters have increased, often with tragic results. To ensure the safety of both, Polar Bear International has funded initiatives such as safety messaging, bear deterrent research, and bear-safe waste management.
It has also pioneered initiatives like the year-round Polar Bear Alert Program, a 24-hour hotline where professional responders handle bear sightings that could pose a risk. Additionally, it introduced a polar bear holding facility, providing a humane temporary solution for bears that wander into town before they are safely relocated.
While safety can never be fully guaranteed when humans and wild animals coexist, a polar bear-safe community can greatly enhance safety for both people and bears. In Churchill, this approach means fewer bears wandering into town, and fewer needing to be confined or relocated.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park- At the forefront of polar bear conservation
These efforts are especially important to Yorkshire Wildlife Park (where WildLife Foundation is based), the UK’s only Arctic ambassador for Polar Bear International, which has conducted groundbreaking research alongside WildLife Foundation, on polar bears in captivity, contributing valuable insights into their behaviour.
The “Bear Necessities” report that WildLife Foundation and Yorkshire Wildlife Park sponsored in 2022 has brought together 35 global experts to improve the welfare of polar bears and secure their future amid the climate crisis. The report provides key recommendations for zoos and wildlife parks to enhance polar bear care, emphasising habitat design, natural behaviours, and conservation strategies.
The report, developed through a series of virtual workshops, focused on understanding the psychological needs of polar bears, enabling habitat design, nutrition, and enrichment to be better aligned with the species’ core requirements.
It will guide wildlife park and zoo breeding programs in designing reserves that allow bears to move with purpose, build dens, make choices, engage in natural behaviours, and follow diets that closely mimic their feeding patterns in the wild.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park, home to six polar bears, plays a leading role in this initiative, which aims to safeguard the species as their Arctic habitat continues to decline due to global warming.
The world-class habitats are home to a group of amazing polar bears, who reside in the 10-acre Project Polar reserve. As one of the world’s leading centres for polar bear welfare and conservation, YWP provide an exceptional environment for these incredible animals.
The reserve’s largest lake, holding over 25.5 million gallons of water, is a cold, 8-meter-deep haven where the bears can swim, dive, and play.
We all have a part to play in the conservation of these beautiful creatures, so get involved this Polar Bear Week
How you can get involved
There are plenty of ways to get involved this Polar Bear Week! You can make a donation to the Wildlife Foundation to help support polar bears and their conservation in the future.
Polar Bears International is hosting a variety of live programs throughout the week, including webinars celebrating all bears in North America and live streams on the innovative tools being used to protect both bears and people. If you miss any, don’t worry—they’ll be available in the archive for you to catch up on later.
Why not take on the Protect Polar Bears and People Challenge? Start a fundraiser and invite your friends, family, or even colleagues to join in the fun.
Even simply learning about polar bears and the challenges they face helps the cause. Be sure to share what you learn with others to spread awareness and educate more people about polar bear conservation!
Your chance to meet a polar bear
Finally, in celebration of Polar Bear Week, we’re offering you the chance to win a one-of-a-kind polar bear experience at Yorkshire Wildlife Park!
Get up close with the park’s polar bears and learn all about them from expert rangers in this unforgettable experience.
To enter, simply make a donation using the following link, any amount, big or small, counts! You’ll then be automatically entered into our competition. Don’t forget to put your in email address so we can let you know if you win!
