Construction Begins At Brookfield Zoo's Great Bear Wilderness.
Author: Ragnar Benson
Date posted: 8/1/2008
Ragnar Benson started construction this month on the new Great Bear Wilderness exhibit at Brookfield Zoo. This new $21 million exhibit will be the single largest project Brookfield Zoo has undertaken in its 75 year history and is part of an overall zoo renovation program. The Great Bear Wilderness will be the new home for Brookfield Zooʼs polar bears, brown bears, bison and bald eagles and will integrate with Regenstein Wolf Woods and Indian Lake exhibits. The project is scheduled for completion in summer 2009.
The first animal that guests will encounter in the three-acre North American habitat will be the bison, exhibited in a prairie setting with mountains and woodlands in the near distance. An interpretive tunnel, highlighting information on the relationship between bison and Native Americans, will take guests below the animals. In addition, a “bison
bunker” will offer a unique perspective on these majestic animals. From a walkway, guests will get a view of bald eagles; a mesh aviary will offer a virtually invisible barrier between guests and these incredible birds of prey.
The bears' area will have three times the space of the current Bear Grottos, allowing the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages the zoo, the opportunity to expand its polar bear breeding program for the benefit of the population living in North American zoos. An underwater viewing area will allow guests to see the polar bears swimming in pools and also to watch them above the waterline.
Moving along a pathway toward the brown bears, the topography is a more forested habitat featuring a stream of varying depths. With the dense, multilevel nature of this space, zookeepers will be able to hide food and enrichment items in the grass to encourage the bears' foraging behaviors.
Additional features of Great Bear Wilderness include state-of-the-art behind-the-scenes areas for the animals and staff, an education center, a gift shop, a renovated restaurant and restrooms and the exhibit will also be available for evening functions.