Happy brown bear!
The oldest animal in Wildnispark Zurich is thirty years old!
A special birthday at Langenberg Wildlife Park: the male brown bear turns thirty in January. The exact date of birth is not known, as female bears give birth to their cubs hidden in a cave.
At the beginning of January, the oldest animal in Wildnispark Zurich turned thirty years old. The male brown bear was born at Langenberg Wildlife Park in 1996. He shares the enclosure with a female, who is also 25 years old and originally comes from Denmark. In the wild, brown bears can live between twenty and thirty years, although the average life expectancy is only around six years due to high cub mortality. In zoos, they sometimes reach an age of over 35 years.
The exact date of birth of the male bear is not known. This is because female bears give birth to their cubs in winter, hidden in a cave. At birth, the bear cubs are the size of rats, naked and blind. They leave the den for the first time in April or May at the earliest. As a rule, the cubs stay with their mother for about three years before they become independent.
Bears in Wildnispark Zurich
The first brown bears came to Langenberg Wildlife Park in 1914. While they were initially kept in a bear pit, today's enclosure is largely located in the forest and offers the animals many natural structures. The bears can dig their own dens in the enclosure, where they also retreat for hibernation.
During this time, their metabolism is slowed down and the bears are very lethargic. Their pulse and breathing rates are significantly lower. In the event of danger, brown bears can suddenly wake up again. Some go into complete hibernation, while others sporadically leave their dens in warm weather to search for food. However, they only eat a little and then go back to sleep. The two public favorites in the Langenberg are therefore not regularly seen again until spring.
The brown bears are one of the eight animal species with which Wildnispark Zurich participates in the European Conservation Breeding Program of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). However, the male bear at Langenberg Wildlife Park has been neutered since 2016. The decision was made because he has already produced offspring several times and his genetic material is sufficiently represented in European zoos.
To avoid an overabundance of cubs, a conscious decision was made not to have any more offspring with the pair living in Wildnispark Zurich.
Further information:
Mirella Wepf, Project Manager Communications, phone 044 722 55 22, mirella.wepf@wildnispark.ch
Download the pictures in high resolution:
Zip below
Captions:
The public's favorite: The male brown bear at Langenberg Wildlife Park will be thirty years old in January. This makes him the oldest animal in Wildnispark Zurich. (Image: Wildnispark Zurich /Stefan Eichholzer)
Tasty treats: To keep the animals at Langenberg Wildlife Park busy, the keepers spread honey on the trees - a treat and entertainment at the same time. There is also an ostrich egg as an Easter surprise. (Image: Wildnispark Zurich /Stefan Eichholzer)
