![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/70c8fc80.png\")
<\/p>\nThey are named Turner and Fitz \u2014 two male grizzly bear cubs that are just over a year old \u2014 and this week they made their public debut at the Calgary Zoo.<\/p>\n
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The bear cubs were orphaned in the wild last fall near Diamond Valley, about 70 kilometres south of Calgary, when their mother was killed in what the zoo called \u201ca human-wildlife encounter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Too young to survive on their own, the cubs were brought to the Calgary Zoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are really good at caring for grizzlies. We\u2019ve been looking after grizzlies at the Wilder to Calgary Zoo since 1938, so roughly 90 years or so,\u201d said Jax Hogard, animal care supervisor at the Wilder Institute Calgary Zoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey needed a quick home while we figured out where they would go next and it just so happened that we ended up having the space for them, so the decision was made for them to stay at the Wilder Institute Calgary Zoo and in the care of us here in wild Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
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While the bears are brothers, they do have their differences.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tTurner has a darker, almost black coat, while his brother Fitz has a lighter coat that is tinged with silver.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tGlobal News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Turner has a darker coat and is the larger of the two, weighing about 116 kilograms (256 pounds), while Fitz is lighter in colour with a silver tinge and weighs about 110 kilograms (243 pounds).<\/p>\n
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Each of them eats about five kilograms (11 pounds) of food per day.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo right on par with where they should be at just over a year old and doing phenomenally,\u201d said Hogard.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir coats are beautiful \u2014 shiny, gorgeous. They\u2019ve shed out their winter coat and have their beautiful spring coat coming in. They\u2019re exactly what you expect young grizzly bears to look like. They\u2019ve got that beautiful grizzled highlights in their hair and they\u2019re perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
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This is the first week the bears have been allowed to explore their new outdoor habitat after spending the winter \u201cbehind the scenes\u201d at the zoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve just been allowing them to do baby bear things all winter. We gave them the option to go to sleep if they wanted to. But they did stay up for the majority of the winter,\u201d said Hogard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever they wanted to do, it was completely their choice. We just wanted them to really gain confidence in their new home. We also wanted to make sure that their new home was safe and prepared for what baby grizzlies need, which is digging, running, climbing, playing. So there were a lot of habitat changes that were made and movement of the furniture in the habitat, rocks, logs. We wanted to make sure that everything was secure so when the boys were here, they were safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tThe two grizzlies made their public debut this week after spending the winter \u2018behind the scenes\u2019 at the zoo, doing \u2018baby bear\u2019 things and getting used to their new home.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tGlobal News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Hogard said the zoo has two habitats that are both well-suited for bears.<\/p>\n
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The cubs are currently living in the smaller habitat, but as they grow, the zoo may decide to move them to the larger habitat.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust to give them small steps to larger spaces, just for enrichment and a change of scenery and size as they grow,\u201d Hogard said.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Click](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/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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