Two of the Assiniboine Park Zoo’s most beloved residents are set to pack up and head east. The zoo announced Friday polar bear brothers Hudson and Humphrey will be moved to the Toronto Zoo, their place of birth.

“I wish they could stay. This is such a tremendous place,” said Adele Fuhr, who was visiting the zoo Friday.

“We are very grateful to have had Hudson and Humphrey here in Winnipeg for the last few years and to have given them the opportunity to become socialized with our other polar bears,” said Gary Lunsford, head of zoological operations at Assiniboine Park Zoo.

“While they will certainly be missed by our staff and visitors, we know that Toronto Zoo is very excited for their return.”

The brothers will be leaving Oct. 11, which also happens to be Hudson’s birthday.

The almost five-year-old has been at the Assiniboine Park Zoo since January 2013.

He was the first polar bear to live at Assiniboine Park Zoo’s International Polar Bear Conservation Centre, before the Journey to Churchill exhibit opened in 2014.

His younger brother, three-year-old Humphrey, came to Winnipeg in March 2015.

A girl gets up close with Hudson the polar bear at the Assiniboine Park Zoo on Sept. 30, 2016. (Photo: Cheryl Holmes)

“We’re going to miss them. This is not an easy thing, but we knew when they arrived that this was not their forever home,” said curator Janice Martin.

The pair moved to Winnipeg as part of a collaboration with the Toronto Zoo.

“Now that Humphrey and Hudson are all grown up and they’re cohabitating together, it’s time for them to return to their home, so Toronto can plan for their future,” said Lunsford.

Winnipeg’s most famous bear Hudson and his brother Humphrey were both bottle raised.

During their stay in Winnipeg, they learned to cohabitate with wild bears and learn their natural behavior.

“If you stop to think about that, a hand-raised bear that didn’t understand bear language, we’re really proud of the work we’ve done,” said Martin.

In his three year stay, Hudson has grown from a small 400 pounds to more than 1,100 pounds.

The zoo says he and Humphrey have matured and grown up over the years.

“I still remember the first time when we introduced Hudson to Storm, and just the change in Hudson when he met a wild bear was pretty dramatic,” said Lunsford.

When the brothers leave Winnipeg, the zoo will be home to nine polar bears, all rescued from Manitoba’s north.

Seven currently live in the Journey to Churchill.

Two cubs, York and Eli, are still in the International Polar Bear Conservation Centre on site.

The zoo said it will consider their move to the Journey to Churchill when Humphrey and Hudson leave. The move also creates space for more rescue polar bears at the zoo.

Anyone who wants to say goodbye to Hudson and Humphrey is invited to take part in a series of activities from Oct. 1 to Oct. 10, which includes the Ten Days of Love zookeeper presentations, signing a giant farewell card, and taking photos with Winston the polar bear mascot.

Hudson and Humphrey will go in to quarantine when they arrive in Toronto on Oct. 11.

They’ll have their own yard, but will be able to see their mother Aurora, aunt Nikita and sister Juno from their new home.

Their father Inuhshuk has moved to the Cochrane Polar Bear Research Centre for the winter.

The Toronto Zoo said it’s not yet sure if this will be the pair’s forever home.

It told CTV News it learned about the decision to move the bears in the last few months.

It says it’s not an uncommon practice with these kinds of conservation programs.

With Inuhshuk leaving, the Assiniboine Park Zoo said it’s an opportune time to move the bears.

It said it didn’t expect to receive seven new bears in just two years, and this opens space for future rescues.

It also said the move creates a chance for Hudson and Humphrey to breed, a practice that doesn’t happen in Winnipeg’s zoo.

The Assiniboine Park Zoo said it doesn’t have any immediate plans to bring new bears to the facility.