It's a day the Assiniboine Park Zoo has been waiting for.
The brand new multimillion-dollar Journey to Churchill exhibit opened Thursday, drawing a long lineup and thousands of Manitobans eager to see polar bears and other animals.
The zoo previously closed for 10 days to prepare for the big event.
Don Peterkin, chief operating officer of the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, said people have been working around the clock in preparation for the opening, and it's the look on kids' faces that will make all that work worth it.
"The first chance we get to watch some little kids sit down on the floor and just not want to move (while) watching the bears - that will make it all worthwhile,” said Peterkin.
Along with polar bears, the 10-acre exhibit features arctic foxes, snowy owls, wolves and seals, as well as underwater viewing tunnels to see animals.
"You really have caught the essence of the environment and recognize the importance of the bears, how special they are and how each creature has its place and we need to honour them," said Dr. Martha McLeod, who was visiting the zoo for the first time from Connecticut.
The exhibit is home to polar bears Hudson, Aurora, Storm and Kaska. But the $90 million project is more than just that. It’s part of a research and conservation effort, partially funded by the provincial government.
Peterkin said the polar bears were moved into their new home Thursday morning. He said it was special to see Kaska and Aurora jump into the water for the first time.
"You saw those bears jump in the same moment I did. We have not seen that (previously). Nobody has seen that. You were the first folks and that's what it was all about,” Peterkin told the crowd Thursday.
- with a report from Cheryl Holmes
