Downtown Alternative School goes Wild!

 

Last week grade 2/3 students at Downtown Alternative School in Toronto participated in a Keep It Wild! workshop. Here are some of the postcards that they created to send to the Mexican zoo where Yupi the polar bear lives. The students had lots of great ideas that would improve Yupi's captivity. They asked for more space for Yupi, more things for her to play with, more shade, snow and ice, and colder water in her swimming pool.



Learn more about the campaign to help Yupi at http://www.saveyupi.com/ 



Thanks to the students for trying to help Yupi. We'll post more of your comments and pictures in the upcoming weeks.

En Français

Palmerston's Grade 2 French Immersion class did a great job writing letters to the Morelia Zoo on behalf of Yupi. Here are some of their thoughts:

"Je pense que Yupi doit avoir de la neige, de l'eau froid avec de la glace et les phoques pour manger. Peut-etre pour un jouet tu peux donner Yupi des jouets de chien. Pour que ce soit froid, tu peux mettre de la climatisation dans sa cage."

"Je pense que ton zoo n'est pas une bonne place pour un ours polaire. C'est chaud en Mexique, et un ours polaire a besoin le froid. Mettez de la climatisation dans sa chambre pour se froidir. Yupi beson le l'eau salée pour nager."

"Je pense que Yupi n'est pas content avec son environment. Je pense qu'elle doit avoic une plus grande cage.Aussi, sa cage doit être plus froide. Elle devrait avoir de la vraie neige. Son eau devrait être froide aussi. Je pense qu'elle doit vivre avec les autres ours en Ontario."

"Je pense que ton zoo n'est pas une bonne place pour un ours polaire. C'est trop chaud."

Thanks for your great work helping wild animals in captivity! Hopefully the Mexican Zoo listens, and starts to improve the conditions of Yupi's captivity, or considers moving her to a more appropriate place.

A Polar Bear in Mexico?

Imagine being adapted to life in the Arctic, and living in a tropical climate instead. This is the situation Yupi the polar bear faces. Yupi is eighteen years old, and lives at the Morelia Zoo in Mexico, where the average daily high temperature is over 20 degrees Celcius year round. But the climate is not the only challenge Yupi faces. Her enclosure is small, barren, lacks shade, and is made entirely of concrete. You can learn more about Yupi's plight at:    http://www.saveyupi.com/

Do you want to try and make a difference in Yupi's life? You can join a campaign to get Yupi moved to a more appropriate northern climate, in an enclosure that has a natural substrate, things to do, and room to move. Write a letter to the Zoo Director at:

Parque Zoologico Benito Juarez
Calzada Juarez S/N, Col. Felix Ireta
C.P. 58070, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico

If you are a part of a classroom in Toronto and would like to participate in a workshop about polar bears, check out our Keep It Wild website at: http://www.keepitwildeducation.com/