Jimmy Doherty, one of the country’s best-known farmers, has built Europe’s largest Polar Bear Reserve, based in a multi-functional enclosure for rescued polar bears, and other tundra species including reindeer, arctic wolves, and arctic foxes.
The 16-acre ‘tundra’ habitat is an extension of Suffolk-based Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park, a regional centre of excellence for the conservation of British rare breeds and exotic species.
The aim is to rescue rare, protected, and endangered species, whilst promoting a wider understanding of the natural world and inspiring future generations to support and protect wildlife, both native and exotic.
The Lost Lands Of The Tundra intertwines with the existing natural landscape and incorporates woodland and natural springs – polar bears are classified as marine mammals and have three large pools in their new home.
A shrinking polar icecap and shortening polar ice season has pitched the species to the forefront of conservation concerns, so much so that representatives of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group and the conservation group Polar Bears International now feel that the modern zoo community has an increasingly important role to play in their survival.
The first bear to arrive at The Lost Lands Of The Tundra was 18-year-old female Ewa, who was rescued from a closing down zoo in Sweden, Orsa Rovdjurspark. The Swedish keepers and international experts played an intensive role in Ewa’s rescue and were welcomed on-site by Jimmy to ensure the move had every chance of success.
Ewa is thriving in her new habitat which has been designed specifically to ensure the best conditions for polar bears.
Whilst most will think of polar bears in extreme cold temperatures, most bears do not live in ice all year round. For example, Hudson Bay, Canada is ‘the polar bear capital of the world’ where the average temperature is 26 centigrade in Suffolk the average temperature is 22.
The launch of the farm’s polar bear reserve coincides with the announcement of Jimmy’s new official charity, Space For The Wild, which will work hard to protect the planet, create habitats, push for regenerative farming, rescue, and rehabilitate wildlife.
