Brookfield Zoo to welcome back visitors March 1

A new polar bear and Mexican wolf pack await adventurers when Brookfield Zoo reopens March 1.

While the zoo was temporarily closed due to the pandemic, staff welcomed a new addition – Hope, a 5-year-old female polar bear – and the timing couldn’t have been better for the cold-hardy marine mammal, a news release stated.

Since her Jan. 29 arrival, Hope has been enjoying the wintry weather that descended on the region. When the zoo reopens Monday, guests will be able to see her in one of the outdoor habitats at Great Bear Wilderness.

Hope eventually will be introduced to Hudson, Brookfield Zoo’s 14-year-old male polar bear. The introduction is expected to take place over several weeks, and it is anticipated the two bears will be together by mid-March.

Hope was born at Utah’s Hogle Zoo, and her transfer to Brookfield Zoo was based on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Polar Bear Species Survival Plan. Each plan manages the breeding of a species to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable. Nan, the female polar bear who was most recently at Brookfield Zoo, recently was transferred to Como Park Zoo & Conservatory in St. Paul, Minnesota, also based on an SSP recommendation.

Polar bears are listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The main threat is due to reduced access to their main source of food – seal – due to climate change melting the sea ice, along with other environmental factors. According to researchers, there are about 23,000 to 26,000 polar bears living worldwide today, including in and around Canada, Russian and east Greenland.

Other new faces that guests will see when they visit Brookfield Zoo are two female Mexican wolves – Sibi (pronounced see-bee) and her nearly 2-year-old daughter Lorena. Since their arrival from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in Socorro, New Mexico, they have been getting acclimated to their new home at the Regenstein Wolf Woods habitat.

Visitors also will be able to view the zoo’s other animals that have access to outdoor habitats, including the grey seals, California sea lions, bison, Amur and snow leopards, Bactrian camels, bald eagles, and Brutus and Titus, the zoo’s African lions who celebrated their fifth birthdays on Feb. 24.

Additionally, the zoo’s popular “Dinosaurs Everywhere!” exhibit returns for a limited time through Sept. 6. A few surprises will be featured on some of the 40 animatronic dinosaurs to make them even more lifelike, the release stated.

They are positioned throughout the 216-acre park, and zoogoers will be able to see their favorite dinosaurs, including the Argentinosaurus that measures 110 feet in length, and stands three stories tall on the zoo’s West Mall.

Health and safety protocols will be in place.

• To ensure social distancing, guest capacity will be limited, and advance admission and parking tickets are required. Reservation times are available in 20-minute increments. Tickets must be reserved at CZS.org/OnlineTicketing. Both guests and zoo members must secure all admission and parking tickets prior to arriving.

• To minimize person-to-person contact, the zoo will remain a cashless environment – only credit card transactions will be accepted for purchasing food and merchandise.

• All guests ages 2 and older must wear face coverings when entering the zoo. Once inside, face coverings should be worn if one is not able to maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet from staff and guests who are not members of the same family. This includes when making transactions and while inside restrooms.

• Before arriving at the zoo, guests are encouraged to visit CZS.org/KnowBeforeYouGo to review the safety protocols as well as get updates on what animal habitats and other amenities are open.

Admission costs $24.95 for adults, $17.95 for children ages 3 to 11, and $19.95 for seniors age 65 and older. Parking costs $15, and all tickets are nonrefundable.