'Sad for us': The farewell party for two polar bears going to Calgary

The two bears are moving to Calgary to be part of a new exhibit at the Calgary Zoo. (Source: Daniel Timmerman, CTV News)

Two beloved polar bears at the Assiniboine Park Zoo are saying farewell to Winnipeg and heading to their new digs out west.

Baffin and Siku were orphaned before their first birthday and found wandering near Churchill.

"When Siku arrived, he was actually the smallest bear that ever came in. I believe he was about 80 lbs, super skinny, very hungry," said Brianne Fast, an animal care professional at the zoo.

Now, the polar bear has a very outgoing personality. "He absolutely adores any and all attention from people," said Fast, telling a story about Siku following her around the enclosure.

The two bears are moving to Calgary to be part of a new exhibit at the Calgary Zoo. Fast says it's a bittersweet feeling to see them go.

"It's sad for us, but we're also very excited for them," said Fast. "The facility that they're going to, they have really good opportunities to have a lot on one-on one-interaction and training sessions that they're not able to do here with such a large group of bears."

The Calgary Zoo has built a new facility specifically for Baffin and Siku. They will be the first polar bears to live in Calgary since 1999.

On Saturday, the Assiniboine Park Zoo hosted a farewell party to say goodbye to Baffin and Siku.

The new exhibit is slated to open to the Calgary public in December.