Hamish the polar bear settles in at new home
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The first polar bear to be born in the UK has settled into his new home after a 400-mile trip from northern Scotland to Yorkshire.
Three-year-old Hamish was moved from Highland Wildlife Park to Doncaster’s Yorkshire Wildlife Park, following a recommendation from the European Endangered Species Programme.
In the wild, he would now leave his mother and venture into adulthood and the spacious reserves of the specialist polar bear centre will allow him to develop.
Kim Wilkins, the carnivore team leader at the Yorkshire park, said: “He is a lovely bear and I can see he will be very happy here.
We are hoping that he will become best friends with our youngest bear, Nobby.”
The move took months to plan and involved experienced transport specialists, supported by staff and vets from both parks.
Matt Hartley, head of animals at the park, said he hopes Hamish will be an ambassador for wild polar bears and boost the campaign to preserve their melting habitats.
He said: “He will help us move forward in our fight to ensure polar bears can ultimately survive the damage climate change is causing to their environment.”
Hamish’s arrival has been away from the public as the 150-acre park is closed to visitors due to the lockdown.
