Calgary’s polar bears, six-year-old Baffin and seven-year-old Siku, will have a brand new habitat when they arrive this winter after a generous gift from the Taylor Family Foundation. .The local family with a philanthropic streak has donated an additional $3 million to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo to help bring polar bears to their facility. .This brings the total donated by the family to $11.5 million to the wildlife conservation park.The donation will go “toward the development of the new two-acre polar bear habitat called the 'Taylor Family Foundation Polar Bear Sanctuary.’”.The zoo released a statement about the “generous gift from one of Calgary’s most philanthropic families” and how the donation will play a “pivotal role in securing the future of one of Canada’s most iconic species – polar bears.”.Don Taylor expressed the passion he and his family has in preserving wildlife, with a special interest in polar bears. .“The polar bear is a species that is very close to my family's heart,” Taylor said. “Helping to secure a future for polar bears, and other arctic species in Canada, is also securing a future for the people that call this beautiful country home.”.“In the face of environmental uncertainty in the northern reaches of our nation, we feel compelled to contribute our support to this incredible project and this magnificent species that needs our help,” the philanthropist added. .The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo said the polar bear sanctuary will be part of the newly renamed ‘Wild Canada’ zone, which is a 21-acre space “aimed at exciting and empowering visitors to take action in support of some of the nation’s most beloved and at-risk species.” .It has grassy meadows, lots of trees, a plunge pool, shallow pool and a stream for the bears to swim, several dens and rock fixtures, all “aimed at encouraging the expression of natural behaviours of its resident polar bears.”.Visitors will have five different vantage points in which to view the habitat, when the bears arrive later from Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo .“The choices we make today have a significant impact on the well-being of future generations of polar bears and people, “ said Jamie Dorgan, Chief Operating Officer at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.."We are internationally recognized for our excellence in habitat design. This, combined with a climate that is similar to what the bears would experience in their native range for much of the year, makes us well-suited to provide a fantastic home for Baffin and Siku.” .The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo also credits the generous support of other “valued donors, funders, and government partners” in addition to the Taylor Family Foundation, including the Brawn Family Foundation, Canadian Heritage and Prairies Economic Development Canada, the Province of Alberta, the City of Calgary, and “many other donors for their generous support of this massive undertaking."
