3.2.2023 by Ralph Morton
Visiting YWP does involve being ready to cope with Yorkshire weather. Tuesday was wet but still mild. After a full English breakfast at the Hex Hotel I got my thick green padded raincoat and trusty hat and set off for a day focussed on Polar Bears.
As usual I started off at Project Polar 2 to visit Flocke and Tala. A noticeboard reminds visitors that Polar Bears are “super mums”. That is certainly true of Flocke. She and Tala had been playing but decided to go inside the den and nap.
Walking across to Project Polar 1 at least one of the boys was out. Luka and Hamish were in the second enclosure.
Hamish was keen to get inside the den. It turned out that the other four Bears were inside their dens. I was able to catch a glimpse of Nobby snug in his straw fast asleep.
Luka and Hamish seemed to have been given the job of entertaining the visitors. The Rangers told me that the wet ground is bad for the bears’ feet and can cause them problems over time.
Luka manages to stay cleaner than Hamish and has shorter fur. As the two biggest bears at YWP they get along nowadays, though Luka often goes into one the rock dens on the enclosure for a time out.
The Rangers were cleaning the enclosures and putting down food and treats. Luka and Hamish went into the tunnel system and tried to visit the others but today was their quiet day. Having six big males requires a lot of managing by the Rangers. This includes giving Sisu especially a bit of a break from the others.
Hamish and Luka now had the whole of enclosure 1 to themselves and were soon marching along the perimeter. Luka was keen to get in the water, where he is able to match Hamish and dodge him if necessary.
They spent a long time in the water and I was able to watch them despite the rain. They were too far away to photo but I did get a shot of them leaving the water later.
The tunnel system works well (Polars are pretty smart and associate it with food and a place to rest) so moving them between enclosures via a system of sliding gates has become a smooth operation.
Hamish and Luka returned to enclosure 2 so that the Rangers could tidy up the other enclosures.
Back on the hills of enclosure 2 Hamish and Luka began looking for their treats.
The sequence of photos shows that even when eating a Polar Bear keeps his legs and paws groomed and cleaned.
It had been a good day with Hamish and Luka but I was beginning to envy Sisu, Nobby, Indie and Yuma in their nice warm dens. So I began the walk back to the hotel.
The giant otters and their cubs are normally outside in their big enclosure behind Project Polar 1. But it seemed even they preferred their warm house. I was able to get some shots of them feeding together.
There are various animals on the way back to the main entrance and I always stop to look at them. Usually they are too far to photo but the Tapirs seemed to like the rain. One was even jumping into the cold water of the pool. She then ran at full pace to the other Tapir.
I was told both are girls but like the Polar Bear boys it does not stop them having fun. 🙂
I had enjoyed my rainy day and still had a final morning to go.
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