It has been two years since the Amnéville Zoo had any polar bears, two specimens are now installed there. (Photo: Amnéville Zoo)

It has been two years since the Amnéville Zoo had any polar bears, two specimens are now installed there. (Photo: Amnéville Zoo)

The Arctic Zone of the border zoo is welcoming new guests this spring before new facilities are planned for the autumn.

For the 2022 season, Amnéville Zoo welcomes two polar bears--Henk and Akiak--specimens of 600kg and 700kg that have arrived from the Netherlands and Germany respectively. The two bears are half-brothers and are preparing for a contact period in a renovated enclosure in addition to their new life at the border park.

Last week, the park presented its 2022 programme, marked by the arrival of these two new residents, a lost sight since 2020. They are in the Arctic Zone alongside otters and wolves, whose pack of 18 specimens will be able to be viewed from an educational walkway by next autumn.

Still on the subject of novelties, the site operator has planned a family fun walk through the mini educational farm from this spring.

A new owner

Opened in June 1986, Amnéville Zoo has expanded over the years to reach 18 hectares and 2,000 animals. Taken over in 2020 by the French fund Prudentia Capital, the site employs between 110 and 180 people depending on the season. Every day, it uses one tonne of hay and fodder for the animals living in its enclosures and spends €29,000 on expenses. The two polar bears eat between 10kg and 15kg of meat and fish every day.

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.