Rescued Detroit Zoo Bears Going To Spacious New Colorado Home

ROYAL OAK, MI—Two rescued bears who have spent the past few years at the Detroit Zoo have been moved from the zoo to a new sanctuary in Colorado. Polly, a Syrian brown bear, and Migwan, a North American black bear, will now call the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keene, Colo. home.

Polly, 20, was rescued in 2000 from a roadside circus, where she was kept in a small cage with large hamster wheel. Migwan, 15, was discovered in 2002 as a cub in Gladwin, Mich., with porcupine quills in her face.

“We saved these bears from further suffering or death and provided them with great care over the years,” said Ron Kagan, executive director and CEO for the Detroit Zoological Society. “We recently learned of a sanctuary that can provide both bears with many acres of space, options for social partners if they want them and staff with expertise in caring for animals who have experienced physical and psychological trauma.”

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The Colorado sanctuary will provide the two bear with several acres of space and social interaction with other bears. The facility offers rolling prairie grasslands, swimming pool, climbing structures, shady spots for resting, dens and secluded areas.

While some people may be sad to the bears go, Kagan said the Detroit Zoo had an obligation to move them when they found a better place for them to live. “We have a responsibility to allow them to go from a good life to a great life,” Kagan said.

Meanwhile, the move will enable the Detroit Zoo to expand the space for the grizzly bear brothers – Mike, Thor and Boo – who were rescued as cubs from Alaska in 2011 after a poacher killed their mother. Construction to improve their habitat begins Sept. 19.

Images provided courtesy of the Detroit Zoo