Facility
Location: Orsa Rovdjurspark (Orsa Predator Park)
Address: Björnparksvägen Orsa, 794 90, Orsa, Sweden
Telephone: +46 (0) 250-462 07
Email: entre@orsarovdjurspark.se or info@orsarovdjurspark.se
Website: https://www.orsarovdjurspark.se
Exhibit: Polar World
Bears
Ewa (female). Born 26 November 2005 in Ouwehands Zoo, Rhenen, Netherlands. Arrived at Orsa Rovdjurspark 4 May 2009.
Hope (female). Born 26 November 2014 in Antibes Marineland, France. Arrived at Orsa Rovdjurspark 19 January 2018.
Miki (female). Born 3 December 2020 at Orsa Rovdjurspark to Ewa.
Wilbär (male). Born 10 December 2007 at Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart, Germany. Arrived at Orsa Rovdjurspark 15 May 2009.
There are also twin cubs born on overnight on 23/30 November 2021. Hope is their mother.
Details
Polar World opened in 2009 and claims to be the largest polar bear facility in the world. (In fact Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, Cochrane, Ontario, Canada is much larger.) It covers an area of 41,000 square metres (10 acres) .
The exhibit includes a large deep water area where the bears are able to catch live fish. There is on-site snow making machinery.
Polar World is designed to be used as a European breeding centre for polar bears as part of a broader project to preserve them. The park aims to house bears with a large genetic variation to enable regeneration if that were to become necessary in the future.
On 11 January 2022, the owners of the Park, Grönklittsgruppen AB, announced that following continuing losses they would be closing the facility down. The closure is due to come into effect in October 2022 and Grönklittsgruppen say they are seeking new homes for the animals. There is local opposition to the plan and further afield there are several initiatives to try to save the Park and to continue to operate it as a not for profit concern. See https://www.raddarovdjursparken.se
Concerns
- Captive breeding programme
- Imminent relocation of bears to what is likely to be an inferior facility.
At present we do not have details of the feeding, exercise, medical and enrichment regimes at Orsa Rovdjurspark.
More Information
None at present.
Return to Captive Polar Bear Directory
Page updated 12 April 2022