Winnipeg zoo gives peek at Journey to Churchill exhibit

Assiniboine Park and Zoo gave media a peek inside the 10-acre Journey to Churchill exhibit, set to open this summer.

The $90million exhibit, which will house the zoo's polar bears, musk ox, seals and snowy owls, is still a mass of construction materials.

But much of it, including the tunnels that will take visitors below water to see polar bears swimming, is taking shape.

There will also be underwater and above-ground viewing opportunities for the seals, which will be separated from the bearsby a plastic wall.

Other elements in the exhibitinclude an aurora borealis 360-degree theatre,a new restaurant, gift shop and children's play area.

Already opened next to the animal exhibit area is thePolar Bear Conservation Centre.

The centre for academic research on the Arctic environment and polar bear conservation provides public education programs, and a polar bear rescue and relocation network for orphaned or injured animals.

The exhibit is part of a larger $200 million upgrade to the Assiniboine Park Zoo.