Zoo life sparks polarizing debate

Randy Boswell
CanWest News Service

Friday, September 30, 2005

The desultory existence of a Canadian polar bear in a Scottish zoo -- the last of her kind in captivity in Britain -- has sparked a wrenching debate over how best to help the threatened species and whether it's right to confine such huge, robust creatures for the delight of children.

The last time a Canadian bear won the hearts of the British people, it cemented special bonds between the two countries and became a honey-loving literary icon for the ages.

But the story of Mercedes the polar bear -- alone since 1996 when her mate choked on a toy plastic cricket bat, and showing signs of "going crazy" in a pen one-millionth the size of her natural range in northern Manitoba -- has none of the cheery innocence of Winnie the Pooh.

Animal rights activists have threatened terror strikes against the Edinburgh Zoo unless it upholds a promise to stop exhibiting polar bears. Yet Mercedes' keepers are controversially reviewing their pledge on the belief that captive breeding programs may now be needed to save the species from the effects of global climate change.

Earlier this week -- with newspapers throughout the U.K. eagerly awaiting the outcome -- the zoo's animal welfare and ethics committee voted only to defer any decision pending further study.

But the panel issued a statement Thursday that hinted it will defy its critics, saying it "did not agree that it is impossible to keep polar bears in captivity" and slammed Mercedes' self-appointed defenders -- the wildlife groups Advocates for Animals and Born Free Foundation -- as being "wholeheartedly against the keeping of any animals in captivity" and unwilling to reach "a fair understanding about what's going on in good zoos."

The bear was, in fact, spared from certain death when she was captured at Churchill, Man., and sent to Scotland in 1984. The trip was paid for by the luxury car company for whom she's named.

At the time, the community on the shores of Hudson Bay had a three-strikes policy for polar bears caught foraging for food at the town dump, and Mercedes was a repeat offender scheduled to be shot.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs the Edinburgh Zoo, says its "rescue mission" has given Mercedes a decent life in captivity and given Britain a "charismatic" member of a "flagship species of the fragile, threatened Arctic" to help educate citizens about wildlife conservation.

"Our keepers work continuously to provide Mercedes with the highest possible standards of welfare through a variety of enrichment techniques," David Windmill, the society's chief executive, said in a statement sent to CanWest News Service. "This beautiful creature is expected to be extinct by the end of this century -- we have to act, and we have to act now. We have the right and the responsibility to keep polar bears if it is going to assist conservation."

Animal rights organizations reject the argument, and have gathered thousands of names for a petition demanding an end to polar bear captivity in Britain.

"Captive breeding of endangered species by zoos has become an easily marketable concept and fashionable justification for their existence," counters Daniel Turner of the Born Free Foundation.

"Yet the results speak for themselves: millions of pounds spent on developing breeding programs and the transfer of animals; euthanasia of unwanted 'surplus' animals; few successes; and even fewer reintroductions."

Mercedes sleeps in a sawdust-lined concrete cage and enjoys watching the lights of aircraft landing at the city's airport, according to her keepers.

"Small outcrops of vegetation are maintained deliberately inside the enclosure, into which the keepers will throw her food so that she can forage," the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland said in a statement. "She is also fed meat on the bone, which is good for her teeth. Her keepers regularly give her food in iceblocks, so that she has to break them up and really work for the food. ....

"She has the opportunity to plan and exercise -- she is given a wide variety of toys with which she plays in the water; her boomer ball, traffic cone, bread baskets and barrels," the society said.

But critics claim that Mercedes exhibits signs of severe stress with anxious, repetitive behaviour such as pacing constantly in her enclosure and swimming around in circles.

Mark Ballard, Green party member of the Scottish parliament, has said "the captivity of these animals is cruel and unusual. In this light, for Edinburgh's zoo to press on with plans to acquire more bears is crazy."

Critics insist that despite the zoo's efforts to create a stimulating enclosure for the bear, Mercedes is suffering in captivity.

"We were absolutely astonished when Edinburgh Zoo announced that it was considering going back on its prior commitment to not replace Mercedes when she dies," Ross Minett, a spokesman with Advocates for Animals, has said.

"Any visitor to the zoo will no doubt have witnessed the pitiful sight of Mercedes continuously pacing along the ridge at the back of her enclosure or swimming in endless circles -- such repetitive, abnormal behaviour is widely recognized as a sign of frustration and distress."