Update on Yupi the Polar Bear

Yupi in Captivity by Ronan, grade 2, Reesor Park PS

Yupi is a female polar bear living in Parque Zoologico Benito Juarez in Morelia Mexico. Her concrete enclosure has very little shade and nothing to do. The soaring temperatures in Mexico are difficult for a polar bear to deal with as they are adapted to survive in Arctic conditions and overheat easily. One of the worst parts of her captivity is that for the majority of the day, as much as seventeen hours, she is locked off-site in a barren concrete cell. 

But more and more people are becoming aware of her plight. There is currently a wildlife park in South Yorkshire that hopes to provide a new home for Yupi on a ten acre reserve. Learn more about  Project Polar, the Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation's plan to rescue Yupi. 

The grade 2 students at Ressor Park recently participated in a Keep It Wild workshop about polar bears, and they learned about Yupi's plight. To learn more about our workshops, check out our website  Here are some of their comments:

I do not agree for her to be in this hot zoo.  - Isabella

Free Yupi, pretty please. 

We want Yupi to have a better place to live and give her a friend.  - Tristan

Dear Zookeeper. Please give Yupi snow and a colder place. - Hayden

I could help Yupi by telling the zoo keeper that he could help Yupi to put her in a colder place. 

 - Raymond

Please move Yupi to a better polar bear habitat. She is too hot!! - Matthew

Dear: Zookeeper. Please send Yupi to a sanctuary please!  - Cam

Keep following our blog for more comments and pictures from students at Reesor Park PS. 

Lolita the Killer Whale

Lolita is an orca whale captured from the wild in 1970. She has been on display at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida ever since. She is the last surviving orca from a group of almost 50 whales of the Southern Resident Community from the west coast that were captured and used for entertainment between 1965 and 1973.

Lolita was only four years old when she was captured. She has been living in a tank that is only 35 X 80 feet, which is illegal according to the Animal Welfare Act. The tank is also only 18-20 feet deep. There is no protection from the sun, and perhaps worst of all, she is kept alone, socially isolated from any other whales.

The good news is that there is a proposal to retire Lolita in a protected cove near her family's territory. Learn more about Lolita and the full plan for retirement by visiting: Orca Network

Photo of Lolita from Orca Network website

Join Zoocheck for an evening of discussion and images about animals

Elephants at the Bowmanville Zoo

Photo From thestar.com RYAN PFEIFFER / METROLAND

On December 3rd, Limba the elephant was euthanized at the Bowmanville Zoo. Elephants are very social animals but Limba has lived alone for many years.  In October a mass was discovered in her abdomen and later a tumour on her spleen. Despite her serious illness she was still made to walk in the Santa Claus parade a few weeks before. 

Many are concerned that the Bowmanville Zoo is planning to purchase a new elephant to replace Limba. According to CAZA (Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums) zoos should make every effort to maintain elephants in social groupings. They also state it is inappropriate to keep highly social female elephants singly long term. 

Please let the Bowmanville Zoo know how you feel about elephants being kept alone, socially isolated from a group, and how you feel about them acquiring an elephant to replace Limba. You can email them at info@bowmanvillezoo.com, call them at 905-623-5655, or send them a letter at 340 King Street East, Bowmanville, Ontario, L1C 3K5

You may also be interested in signing a petition about this issue at  Change.org

Awesome Orcas

Picture by Emre

Grade 4 students at Grenoble recently participated in a Keep It Wild workshop about orcas.  They learned a lot about orcas in the wild. 

 They discovered that orcas are top predators and spend much of their time hunting. 

Picture by Khan

They learned that orcas live in large open spaces in the ocean, travelling 

Picture by Areesh

They learned that orcas live in tight social groups, never leaving their family. 

Picture by Anirud

They also compared the orca's wild habitat to that of Kiska's, a lone whale that lives in Marineland, in Ontario Canada.

A lot of the students were concerned about how Kiska was feeling:

Kiska is alone. She misses her family. - Hatem

I thnk Kiska is sad that all five kids have died. - Tudor

I think you should let her go or bring another orca because Kiska will be sad. 
     - Kademcan


Here are some of their comments about how to improve Kiska's habitat:

You can keep Kiska so others can see her too. But just get Kiska another whale to keep Kiska busy. Make her feel like home. - Tia

I think you should let Kiska have a lot of other orcas in there with Kiska and give her more room. 

     - Maariyah

Please put more fish into Kiska's pool. She needs to learn to hunt. Also please give Kiska a bigger pool. That's all I want. - Shadman

Kiska should get a friend. She is alone. At least she can have fun with someone like her, not like people. She is missing happiness. - Sarah

I think you should make it look like under the sea if you are going to keep Kiska. - Deyono

Some students thought that her captive habitat was not appropriate, and wanted Kiska released back to the wild:

I wish that you let Kiska free. But first teach her to hunt and breed and all other stuff. - Ryan

Please let Kiska go. A whale's life is supposed to be exciting, but Kiska's life is boring because there is no adventure in her life. - Mariah

It isn't nice to have a living thing captured. Kiska needs love and family. She's part of the wild. Please let her go. - Nabiha

Can you please stop keeping Kiska. She is alone. There is no one to talk to her. She is sad. - Siraj

You should let Kiska out of there and let her have space and let her explore a little bit of the world. 
     - Hud.

Let Kiska go. She must be very alone in a small place. Let her have some fun with her friends. 
     - Ruhaba

Kiska should be free from your cage. Let her be wild. Would you like it if you were forced to do entertainment? Before you let her wild, train her how to hunt. - Areesh

Others were concerned about the issue of orcas in captivity, not just Kiska:

Do not capture more orcas because then the orcas wouldn't be with its family. It will lose the population of orcas in the wild. - Michael

I hope Kiska and the other whales get to be free. Please let whales be in the wild. More of them are losing their families. - Safiullah

If the orca can't take care of its babies then you should not get more animals. - Mateen

You should let Kiska go. And the other animals that are alone, because they have nothing to do. 
- Esfar

Thanks for all your great ideas! You are making the world a better place for animals by sharing your thoughts on how animals feel and how we should treat them.

Save The Polar Bears!

The grade 2 and 3 students at Reesor Park P.S. have been busy working on a campaign to save polar bears in the wild. Polar bears migrate across the sea ice to hunt for polar bears, but global warming is causing the sea ice to melt early. The students have been learning about ways that they can help stop global warming. 

Check out some of their great posters to learn ways to help the polar bears. 

Keep up the great work Reesor Park! You're doing a great job helping wild animals.