Saskatoon Forestry Farm lets grizzly bears enjoy winter slumber

For the first time, the grizzly bears at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo have settled in for a long winter's nap.

Mistaya and Koda have gone into hibernation for the winter, as they would have if they lived in the wild.

To help the bears hibernate at the Saskatoon zoo, their food supply was limited and the temperatures were allowed to drop below zero in their bear house.

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Not only is hibernation natural for the bears, it allows opportunitiesfor experts to conduct research.

The zoo is working on a partnership with the Foothills Research Institute to partner in research on grizzly bears.