Published Date:
06 November 2008
By Jenny Haworth
Environment Correspondent
SHE has been at Edinburgh Zoo for more than two decades – but Mercedes the polar bear could soon be on the move to a new home.
Mercedes, the only polar bear kept in a zoo in the UK, may be moved to the Highland Wildlife Park near Kincraig. The announcement has been welcomed by animal rights groups, which say the location will be more suitable for her needs.
David Windmill, chief executive of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), confirmed she could be relocated.
"The environment at Highland Wildlife Park is ideal for her and we are looking at what needs to be done and how much it would cost to set up her new home in the Highlands," he said.
A spokeswoman for RZSS said the plans were still in the early stages, and no time scale had yet been set.
However, she said it was likely the enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park would be bigger than the pen where the bear lives at Edinburgh Zoo.
Part of the reason for moving Mercedes would be that she matches the new theme of the Highland Wildlife Park.
The park used to be home exclusively to animals from Scotland, but relaunched itself as showcasing species from mountain and tundra regions around the world. This year snow monkeys and red pandas were introduced, and more recently a pair of Amur tigers.
Mr Windmill said this had "raised the profile" of the park, adding that a pair of Amur leopards might also be moved there from Edinburgh Zoo.
"By doing so, Highland Wildlife Park would be contributing to the breeding programme of one of the world's most endangered species, with approximately 30 remaining in the wild," he said.
He said he hoped the new species would increase visitor numbers, to allow RZSS to fund more conservation projects in the wild.
Mercedes has lived in Edinburgh since she was rescued from Canada in 1984, where she was in danger of being shot for foraging for food from gardens. She was named in honour of the car company that helped pay for her journey across the Atlantic.
Mercedes has lived alone since her mate Barney died in 1996.
Ross Minett, campaigns director for Advocates for Animals, said watching Mercedes "pacing round and round her enclosure" was a "pitiful sight".
"Mercedes has now been languishing at the zoo for over 20 years and would no longer be able to survive in the wild so is destined to spend the rest of her life behind bars," he said.
He added: "A new purpose-built enclosure for Mercedes at the Highland Wildlife Park can only be better than her current situation."
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Last Updated:
05 November 2008 9:52 PM
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Source:
The Scotsman
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Location:
Edinburgh
