Whipsnade’s bears wake from four months of hibernating in time for half term break

Four European bears at Whipsnade Zoo have awoken from their four months of hibernation, just in time for the February half term in Bedfordshire.

Zookeeper Sarah McGregor said the girls were quick to have a swim when they woke up from their deep slumber. Sarah explained: “There’s no better way to wake up and shake off the winter cobwebs than with a splash in the pond and then a spot of sunbathing. Three-year-old Naya was in her element and is making the most of the rare sunny spells.”

Most bears in the wild snooze when food is scarce during the winter, so the staff at Whipsnade set up a special nutritional plan for their brown bears to make sure they get enough calories and are “nice and fat” for when they crawl in their dens for a long snooze.

During their hibernation, the bears breathing, heartbeat and circulation slows, but they are still on alert, as they would be in the wild, to defend their territory if needed.

Sarah said: “Every so often the girls would briefly wake up and poke their head out, or maybe even wander outside to explore their paddock, before going back for another sleep. But now we can officially say the four girls are up and at ‘em.”

Their keeper added: ““Our bears are great ambassadors for their species. Sadly, some European brown bears are at risk of extinction in the wild due to human-wildlife conflict and loss of habitat.”