Zoo to offer brown bears new home
THE Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder is in discussions to bring two brown bears to West Lothian.
Zoo owner Brian Curran (below) said he is determined to bring the bears, which were rescued from a travelling circus in Germany, to the county to add to the growing animal community at the top county attraction.
The bears are currently residing in France and Mr Curran has made formal moves to secure their transfer, while an area of woodland on the zoo's grounds has already been identifiedas an ideal area for an
enclosure.
He said: "I am determined to bring the bears here and we'll be pulling out all the stops to make it happen.
"The fact that they have been rescued from a circus makes me all the more determined to get them to the Five Sisters where we can make sure they are treated well and live out their lives in a spacious and natural environment.
"They would be an amazing addition to the zoo and would be brilliant for children to see these magnificent animals up close.
"However, there is a lot of work to be done and it will cost a lot of money to do it. The enclosure to house them is 80,000 alone. We would need a lot of financial help to pull it off but it would cetrainly be worth it."
Douglas Richardson, animal collection manager at Highland Wildlife Park and renown bear expert, has agreed to be the zoo's mentor to help them fulfill its commitments and reponsibilites to Biaza, which monitors animal welfare and conservation.
He said: "The (Five Sisters) zoo is one which has grown spontaneously over the years and it is more than capable of improving the life of the bears.
"The bears could become a focus for the zoo as to coin an American phrase, they are 'charismatic mega vertibrates' and are readily recognisible.
"The important thing is improving the life of bears who have been rescued from the likes of third-rate zoos which have been closed down."
Brown bears can weigh anything from 300 to almost 800kgs and live mostly in Russia and the USA, Canada, Romania and Finland.
The zoo has also welcomed a new addition last week following the birth of a baby meerkat.
Events manager Margaret Copland said: "It was one of three that were born but sadly it was the only one to survive."
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Monday 21 May 2012
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