Two rescued bears left the Detroit Zoo on Monday to head to their new home at a sanctuary in Colorado.
Syrian brown bear, Polly, and North American black bear, Migwan, are moving to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, where they will have acres of space and social interaction with other bears.
Polly is 20 years old and was rescued back in 2000 from a roadside circus. She sustained psychological trauma from living in a small cage with a hamster-like performance wheel.
In 2002, Migwan (now 15 years old), was discovered as a cub in Gladwin, Michigan. She had porcupine quills in her face.
“We saved these bears from further suffering or death and provided them with great care over the years,” said Ron Kagan, executive director and CEO for the Detroit Zoological Society. “We recently learned of a sanctuary that can provide both bears with many acres of space, options for social partners if they want them and staff with expertise in caring for animals who have experienced physical and psychological trauma.”
The sanctuary in Colorado features multi-acre spaces of rolling prairie grasslands, pools for swimming, climbing structures to play on, shady spaces for resting, underground dens and secluded areas for the animals to have time away from each other as needed. “Just as we did with the elephants in 2004, when we discover a place that can provide animals with an improved situation, we have a responsibility to allow them to go from a good life to a great life,” Kagan said.
The Detroit Zoo will now expand the space for Mike, Thor and Boo, the grizzly bears currently at the zoo. They were rescued as cubs in Alaska in 2011 after their mother was killed by a poacher.
