EXCLUSIVE: Polar bears included in Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo exhibit plans

Plans for a new bear and wolf exhibit at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo could bring the Arctic’s most iconic predators to the city.

Plans have been underway for several years and documents obtained by 650 CKOM reveal the exhibit’s design aims to “seamlessly accommodate the future addition of polar bears.”

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A March 2024 report prepared by aodbt architecture interior design in association with Ackerman-Estvold outlines three phases for the project.

Renderings of the exhibit feature numerous trees, a spacious viewing area, large pond and natural boulders.

The first phase includes a 4,300 square foot holding building for the zoo’s permanent grizzly bears Koda and Mistaya, which also has the recommended space for housing wolves and polar bears once other phases are complete.

Phases two and three also include expanding viewing areas for visitors to observe the bears and surrounding wildlife exhibit.

The potential to add polar bears will “enhance the city’s appeal as a destination and contribute to economic growth,” the introduction of the report reads.

While it’s unclear as to when polar bears would arrive, the report said the exhibit would be aligned with standards outlined by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums

Costs outlined in the report reveal the exhibit would cost an estimated $20 million.

In 2023, the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo received a million-dollar donation towards the project from a private donor.

The Saskatoon Zoo Foundation has been behind fundraising for the project, and CEO Dawn Woroniuk said the grizzly bears “desperately” need a new home.

Additionally, Woroniuk said polar bears are on the verge of extinction, and the possibility of bringing them to the zoo would play a significant role in conservation efforts, and offer educational benefits.

“It really would be instrumental for the zoo and for the city to have growth and to expand,” Woroniuk said, pointing to the success of other zoos in cities like Calgary and Winnipeg.

But, she noted, plans for polar bears will need the stamp of approval from Saskatoon City Council first, and no timeline has been set as to when that meeting will occur.

If city council approves, Woroniuk said the zoo foundation will turn to other levels of government and the public for funding.

According to the City of Saskatoon, a final budget for the project is yet to be determined and designs for the new enclosure will be introduced at the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation’s ZOOGALA event in June.

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Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct an error regarding the 2023 donation. The funds came from a private donor, not the City of Saskatoon.