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<\/p>\nThe Calgary Zoo\u2019s new polar bear has completed his quarantine and is now checking out his new home.<\/p>\n
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The arrival of 20-year-old \u201cYelle\u201d comes nearly two years after another bear, seven-year-old Baffin, drowned in the pool at the zoo\u2019s bear enclosure.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tThe arrival of Yelle, seen exploring his new home at the Calgary Zoo, comes two years after another bear, Baffin, drowned in a pool at the zoo\u2019s polar bear exhibit.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tGlobal News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Yelle, who was born in the Netherlands, arrived on March 17 from his previous home at Quebec\u2019s Zoo Sauvage de Saint-F\u00e9licien, but he needed to be quarantined until now to give the zoo time to monitor his behaviour and comfort level in his new home.<\/p>\n
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Wildlife experts are hoping Yelle will eventually bond with the zoo\u2019s other bear, 10-year-old Siku, who has been alone at the zoo since Baffin died.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tThe Calgary Zoo says Yelle will gradually be introduced to the zoo\u2019s other bear, Siku, seen here at the zoo.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy: Jaiden Chaudhary\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Both Siku and Baffin came to the Calgary Zoo in 2023 from the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, where they were raised after being orphaned in the wild when they were just cubs.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tThis is one of the last photos of seven-year-old Baffin and Siku at the Calgary Zoo before Baffin drowned in 2024.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy: Katt Hryciw\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Zoo officials said Siku and Yelle will be introduced to each other carefully.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThey have had visual barriers in front of them just so that they can get used to the space. Yelle has the opportunity to get out onto the habitat and see everything around him, so they\u2019re very much aware of each other, they can smell each other and they hear each other and sometimes talk to each other on either side of it,\u201d said Paul Warner, manager of animal care.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust yesterday they saw each other for the very first time, so we\u2019re doing slow introduction until we get to the point where they\u2019ll be out on habitat together.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe (Yelle) is an older bear. He\u2019s a bear that\u2019s lived with other bears all his life, as has Siku. Siku is very familiar with having older bears, and he\u2019s used to that dynamic. Both those bears have lived with the other bears all their lives, and it\u2019s something that they both will enjoy and it\u2019s good for both their welfare,\u201d said Warner.<\/p>\n
But he admits that introducing the two bears also comes with risks.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course everything comes with risks when you\u2019re putting animals together and whether they\u2019re in the wild or in captivity, there are some risks, but we have a great team that\u2019s monitoring the behaviour. We move at the pace of the bears so they\u2019re only going to come together once they\u2019ve decided that this is something that they want to do, so we will take our time and we\u2019ll move at the pace of the animals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSiku will likely be excited to see him and see what he can get away with and poke at him and play and that sort of a thing and Yelle, being the older guy, he\u2019ll set the tone,\u201d Warner added.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Click](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WEB.POLAR.BEAR.NECROPSY.VAESSEN_1.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalgary zoo polar bear drowned after rough play with fellow bear\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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