Raise your “paw” if you love polar bears! My fellow team members and I are devoting an entire week to celebrate the top predator of the Arctic. This week marks the beginning of SeaWorld’s second annual Polar Bear Week, so if YOU are a fan of polar bears as much as we are, come by SeaWorld San Diego’s Wild Arctic exhibit and have a polar bear party with us!
Every year, the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund supports hundreds of nonprofit organizations, including Polar Bears International, the world’s leading polar bear conservation group. Being an Arctic Ambassador Center, SeaWorld San Diego is joining in the festivities.
Why celebrate polar bears you might ask? Currently, polar bears and several arctic species are facing many challenges in the north due to a warming climate. During the fall, certain polar bears migrate to Churchill, Manitoba to wait for the freeze up on the Hudson Bay so they can begin to hunt for seals after a summer of fasting. Every year the ice forms later and melts earlier, causing the bears to go longer without a food source. In 2008, polar bears were placed on the threatened species list, due to habitat loss.
Polar Bear Week is the perfect time to celebrate, connect and care: celebrate the importance of the species and the role they play in our ecosystem. Connect with Snowflake and Szenja, our ambassadors for the animals in the wild. Our two bears here at the park have contributed to the science of polar bears. And lastly, care to be inspired to take action in your daily life to reduce your carbon footprint. SeaWorld cares for many species and the conservation of threatened or endangered species is on the forefront. That is why we here at SeaWorld San Diego, along with Polar Bears International and other Arctic Ambassador Centers across the nation, are joining together in the polar bear party!
During Polar Bear Week, we will have “Keeper Talks” in our exhibit, educational activities and a special appearance by Shivers, the costume character. So, dive on into Polar Bear Week so we can all make a splash in helping to protect polar bears around the Arctic!
