Assiniboine Park Zoo welcoming new polar bear from B.C.

Agee is the newest polar bear at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. May 30, 2022. (Source: Assiniboine Park Zoo)

A new polar bear is joining the Assiniboine Park Zoo.

The zoo announced Monday that a 26-year-old bear named Agee is coming to the zoo from British Columbia.

The bear was previously with private owners who were in the entertainment industry, the zoo said. They were no longer to take care of her and the zoo was asked to provide Agee a new home.

"Here at the Zoo, we have a team of experts who will tend to Agee's needs. She will receive the same attention and high standard of care as the other polar bears at the Zoo," said Grant Furniss, the senior director of zoological operations, in a statement.

The zoo said a team went to B.C. last week to do a health assessment and she was transferred to Winnipeg on Friday and has been, "settling in nicely."

Agee will be in quarantine for 30 days and won't be visible to the public.

"Agee has spent her entire life in human care and has not had contact with other polar bears. For that reason, it is highly unlikely that she will be introduced to other bears here at the Zoo," said Furniss. "It is our intention that Agee will be visible to the public at some point in the future, but that will be determined by how she adjusts to her new surroundings. Her health and welfare are our highest priorities."

There are currently 10 polar bears at the zoo; eight are in the Journey to Churchill exhibit, while the other two, including Agee, live in the Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre.