Philadelphia Zoo Announces Major Expansion of Bear Country
Philadelphia Zoo announced a transformation of its Bear Country exhibit on October 24, 2024.
The Zoo will begin a significant expansion and renovation of its Bear Country exhibit. This will include the extension of the Zoo’s revolutionary Zoo360 trail system, and the addition of a third bear habitat.
An expansion will allow the Zoo to continue to provide the highest standard of care and quality of life for animals. It will also create an incredible guest experience that increases opportunities for people to get close to animals and see them in an entirely new way.
The Zoo will break ground on the new exhibit in early 2025 and the new Bear Country is expected to open in the Spring of 2026.
Philadelphia Zoo Bear Country Expansion Highlights Include:
- A Zoo360 exploration trail that will allow the bears to rotate through all habitats
- A third habitat to expand space for bears and aid in the Zoo’s breeding program
- An additional off-exhibit habitat to aid in the rearing of cubs
- New water features, landscaping, and the removal of moats to add space to the bears’ habitats
- Water features will include recirculating water to help the Zoo achieve sustainability goals
- Additional opportunities for animal keepers to set up behavioral enrichment
- Glass viewing areas to allow guests to come nose-to-nose with the bears
- New areas to allow guests to watch keeper training with bears
- Improved structural designs for the Zoo’s animal keepers to facilitate efficient care
The Philadelphia Zoo has been a leader in animal care for more than a century.
It is constantly looking for ways to enhance animal habitats and how they are cared for. The design of the current Bear Country exhibit made a clear picture of the opportunity to create a state-of-the-art exhibit.
As construction begins, the Zoo’s three bears will be moving to other AZA-accredited facilities. Sloth bears, Bhalu and Kayla, are expected to return to the Zoo once construction is complete. Andean bear, Sinchi, has been paired with another female and will remain at another zoo.
The Zoo’s colony of Humboldt penguins will also be temporarily relocated to another AZA-accredited facility. The Zoo’s flamboyance of flamingos will be relocated to a habitat south of McNeil Avian Center.
