'Brown bear' in polar bear enclosure leaves keepers scratching their heads



Keepers at a wildlife park were left scratching their heads when what looked like a brown bear turned up in the polar bear enclosure.

But, on closer inspection, they found their female polar bear had disguised her white fur under a thick layer of mud, leaving her barely recognisable.

See also: Watch this adorable polar bear cub take her first swim

See also: Polar bears meet for first time and become instant friends (video)


Vickie Larkin, head carnivore keeper at Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie, said: "The keepers had quite a good laugh when we discovered her.

"She's generally always a bit muddy as she loves rolling about in the peat, but we have never seen her this muddy.

"She must have been having a ball tumbling around her enclosure. She soon cleaned off by taking a dip in her pool."

Victoria is the UK's only female polar bear and has her own enclosure at the park, separate to the park's two male polar bears as in the wild the species only pairs up for a short time to mate.



Polar Bear Cub Entertains Crowd
Polar Bear Cub Entertains Crowd

Advertisement