NC Zoo opens polar bear exhibit

ASHEBORO, N.C. -- The North Carolina Zoo hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning for the zoo's new expanded polar bear exhibit.

The NC Zoo has been working on the $8.5 million expansion over the past three years.

Gov. Pat McCrory, John E. Skvarla, III, Secretary for the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Zoo Director Dr. David Jones were guest speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. They received a tour of the new exhibit during their visit.

The new exhibit triples the size of the polar bear exhibit and increases the land space for the bears and now offers a stream for them to use. The new exhibit contains state-of-the-art educational graphics and interactive computers to tell the story of polar bears and their endangered status in the wild due to the loss of ice packs which the bears use as hunting grounds.

Visitors can enjoy an indoor gallery with more educational graphics and televisions screens. You can also check out the bears from a glass viewing area overlooking the exhibit and an artificial ice cave.

What you will not see but that are just as important for the bears is the expanded and improved holding facilities. The new holding area has a special den for a mother and cubs.

About 60 percent of the funds for the expansion was funded by the state legislature and the remainder was raised through private contributions to the NC Zoological Society.

The zoo celebrated its 40th Anniversary on August 2nd and currently maintains 2,200 acres of land with about 500 acres used for exhibit.