LOCATION:

PO Box 190 , SURFERS PARADISE QLD 4217 , QUEENSLAND , AUSTRALIA
Phone: 61-07-5588 2212
Fax: 5588 2187
URL: http://www.polarbearshores.com.au

KEY WORDS:

Australia Arctic Summer Environment Enrichment Long Distance Views Wind Generation Misting Rain Shade Life Support Security

ANIMALS:

Family:	Species:	Common Name:	Capacity:
Ursidae	Ursus maritimus	Polar Bear	5

AWARDS:

    2001 Queensland Tourism - State Tourism Attraction of the Year (Australia)

DESCRIPTION:

Visitors to Sea World - 40% of whom are from overseas - are able to observe the bears' skilled and graceful underwater swimming and hunting abilities through large underwater viewing windows, and are treated to fascinating interpretive information about the animal. Polar Bear Shores was designed to promote natural polar bear behaviours, to the maximum extent feasible in a non-wild situation. Guests will witness bears climbing, basking, diving, swimming, foraging for food, and - with successful breeding - caring for young.

The Polar Bear Shores complex comprises a public presentation area (the on-exhibit bear habitat facilities comprising pool and landscaped dry areas) and a service complex (the off-exhibit facilities comprising exercise yard, dens, pools, and support facilitities). Husbandry and service facilities are located in an enclosed and air conditioned area at the rear of the public presentation area. They include five dens, an administration and records office, incorporating security video surveillance equipment, a storeroom and a freight dock.

The off-exhibit facilities are designed to ensure that male and female bears may be housed and moved separately to each other. Two bear distribution races enable an isolated bear to be moved between the dens, exercise yard and on-exhibit habitat area in isolation from a bear in any other of those locations.

The on-exhibit bear habitat and the exercise yard are bounded by a 5 meter high, non-scaleable, simulated rock wall. Exhibit and service buildings are constructed from steel and concrete. Bear containment doors are constructed of welded non-corrosive stainless steel plate and mesh; walls are constructed of strengthened concrete and stainless steel plate and mesh.

In conjunction with the main pool system, a fresh water stream including weirs flows through the exhibit, creating different water levels in individual pools from 200 mm to one meter. Differing grades of river stone are incorporated, just as occurs in the natural habitat of the species.

Sprinkler and misting systems are installed to simulate rain and mist and aid in cooling, and strategically placed fans create colling wind and bring into the exhibit and exercise yard a multitude of scents, both ambient and deliberately introduced via purpose-planted herb beds.
 

SIZE:

The total dry area is 861 m2, the total area of pools 471 m2 and the total water volume 587,500 liters. The public presentation area is 41 m wide in north-south direction and 32 m wide in east-west direction.

Space allocation in square meters:

COSTS:

AUD 7,000,000 including -1 % for design.

OPENING DATE:

DESIGN:

Beginning: 1 June 1996

• Architect: Alan Griffith, Gold Coast, Australia
• Engineer: Kavanaugh McAnany, Gold Coast, Australia
• Shade Construction: Ozone Shade, Brisbane, Australia
• Filtration: Aquatic Treatment Technologies, Brisbane, Australia
• Surveyors: Rider Hunt, Gold Coast, Australia
• Security/Electrical: Richard Flanagan
• Rockwork: Natureworks, Brisbane, Australia
• Plumbing: Christopher West Plumbing, Gold Coast, Australia

CONSTRUCTION:

Beginning: 17 July 2000

LOCAL CONDITIONS:

This is a climatic diagram for the closest weather station.

PLANTS:

The plant list specifies the Latin names of the plants used for this exhibit.

FEATURES DEDICATED TO ANIMALS:

The climbing terrain in the habitat includes a strategically placed rock platform. This platform provides the polar bears with an accessible vantage point enabling long distance viewing from within - but beyond - their enclosed exhibit.

The large main pool is up to 4 meters deep to encourage diving, and is stocked with fish to allow the bears to hunt for food. Boulders line the sides of the main pool in various sections where the bears can hunt for the fish in a natural environment. Underwater and ground-level viewing panels are engineered to exceed minimum bear-impact stress specifications.

Several climate control facilities are available to the bears: All pools have water chilled to 15-17°C. A retractable shade cover allows 90% solar filtration. The fabric roof shade structure incoporates sprinkling systems to simulate rain. The exhibit is landscaped with trees and shrubs. The bears will use air conditioned dens when they are not actually on exhibit or in the exercise yard.

Stimulation of the bears olfactory senses is provided by strategically placed wind generation fans. These fans direct breezes that bring new and interesting smells and animal scents, just as the bears would encounter in the wild. The simulated rock walls incorporate misting systems to portray arctic mists and provide additional cooling.

The exercise yard has an retractable shade cover, a pool with chilled water, a bear pit with gravel for digging, sprinklers and a wind generator.

Five individual dens are provided: two of them are general dens, one is an isolation den and two are female dens. One of the maternity dens has incorporated an additional maternity den.
 

FEATURES DEDICATED TO KEEPERS:

Both the on-exhibit bear habitat and the off-exhibit exercise yard incorporate bear exclusion "safe havens" into which keeping staff may rapidly retreat in the event of an emergency.
 

FEATURES DEDICATED TO VISITORS:

High-level guest vantage points incorporate unobtrusive barriers to prevent an accidental fall into the bear enclosure.
 

INTERPRETATION:

Educational signage is located throughout the park, providing information on Sea World, environmental issues, and the animal species on exhibit. In addition to behaviour-related signs, Polar Bear Exhibit signage highlights basic species facts, cultural significance, wild management programs, and conservation issues facing the species. This signage is distributed along the walkways, on the high-level viewing platform, and in the underwater viewing gallery.

Polar bear keepers are responsible for conducting three educational sessions daily. The content begins with an overview of all bears and their ecosystems, dividing them into their specific groups. Then discussion focusses on the acquisition, care and training of polar bears at Sea World, concluding the session with a focus on conservation issues facing the species. Information is provided to guests to relate the behaviour which is on view to that in the wild.

Sea World is one of the few zoological facilities in Australia which can educate students and guests on conservation issues concerning marine animals and their environment. A multi-level learning style was developed for the polar bear education program encompassing interpretive graphics, and live keeper presentations for all guests, while an additional formal education program and worksheets are available for visiting students. Written materials are collated to cover a wide range of subject areas and learning abilities.
 

MANAGEMENT:

Weigh scales and foot baths are located at the bear entry points from the exhibit and exercise yard in both distribution races to enable the physical condition of bears to be monitored, and to provide for paw medication to be readily administered as required. A bear crush is located in bear distribution race no. 1 to enable basic veterinary procedures to be undertaken without compromising the safety of either bears or personnel. An isolation den is available to enable the veterinarian to perform on a (sedated) bear the more involved procedures which cannot be undertaken in the bear crush; the den may also be used to quarantine an ill or recovering bear.

Pool water is refrigerated to 15-17°C by use of a large chiller unit. Ozone is utilised for disinfection via a 10% by-pass flow supplied by a 40 gram ozonator through dry air (2 mg/l). This is mixed with the filtered water in a vortex mixing chamber with a contact time of two minutes. ORP or redox taken from the mixing chamber is used to measure and monitor the automation of the ozonator, along with redox probes in the return to pool line. Should problems arise with the main ozonator or its many ancillary components, a back up oxidisation treatment system becomes operative. This system utilises sodium hypochlorite, dosing at 1.0 mg/l, which is controlled by redox probes on the return to pool lines. The turnover time is one hour, the filtration rate 4.161 sec/m2. Algae control is carried out by copper sulphate or simazine, as well as denitrification. Backwash water is disinfected via sodium hypochlorite.

Operant conditioning programs are an integral component of Sea World's zoological operations. The polar bears undergo protected contact operant conditioning. The training incorporates husbandry matters, veterinary programs, gate and pen conditioning, as well as physical and psychological challenges. A conditioning program greatly reduces the occurrence of stereotypic behaviour when the challenges of the natural environment are not present. The holding areas have been specifically designed to facilitate the use of "target" and "station" conditioning. These techniques, in conjunction with positive reinforcement, are utilised to condition voluntary movement of animals within the exhibit, husbandry behaviours, animal separations, and to create stimulating mental challenges for the bears.

Browse and scatter feeding, olfactory scent stimuli, and unpredictable feeding schedules are utilised to promote physical, mental and olfactory enrichment. Live fish is released into the shallow creek pools and the main pool of the exhibit. Other food items are deliberately hidden by keeper staff throughout the exhibit to stimulate food motivation and challenges for the animals.

Since the polar bear is a large, powerful and intelligent carnivore special measures have to be taken to ensure the safety of both the public and Sea World personnel. At the same time, its intelligence requires that keeper personnel must be able to interact closely with the bears to implement behavioural enrichment procedures. In addition, the species in the wild is essentially solitary for much of its life, and special care needs to be taken with captive animals to ensure that intra-specific aggression can be minimised or eliminated when required.

Operation of the Polar Bear Exhibit is subject to a written "Operating Safety Policy". The policy provides for the establishment and operation of a safety review committee, whose function is to establish Polar Bear Exhibit operating safety standards, monitor the operation of those standards, periodically review overseas captive polar bear safety experiences, amend the operation of the standards as required, and review safety incidents and issue in order to implement any necessary consequential changes. The committee comprises Sea World's General Manager, Health and Safety Officer, Diving Supervisor, Resident Veterinarian, and Head Keeper.

The number of entry points to secured areas of the exhibit complex is limited to a total of four. At each entry point, at least two separate sets of high strength bear-containment doors will minimise any potential for the escape of bears from, or unauthorised entry by any person into, secured areas. All dens and keeper service corridors are subject to video surveillance.

Firearms are held under security in the exhibit office and are subject to strict procedures for use.
 

RESEARCH:

CONSERVATION:

The Polar bear can focus attention on the fragility of, and threats upon, both the Artic and Antarctic and the need to understand and protect these environments.

Sea World Enterprises assist international Polar bear conservation efforts by providing an Australian centre for education, breeding and keeping. This is done by cooperating with legitimate zoological organisations world wide and commitment to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association breeding recommendations. Captive-bred polar bears were obtained from an AZA affiliated zoo in the USA. Sea World actively participates in the studbook breeding requirements of BEARTAG. Sea World is willing to meet the costs of this participation in order to provide an opportunity to Australian and overseas visitors to learn about these unique animals and how human activities can harm their survival in the wild.
 

LOCAL RESOURCES: