Bears at Beartree park in Sejong City. (Image : Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 11 (Korea Bizwire) – The bears at Seoul Grand Park have been living in an empty cage with cold concrete floor, but recent changes will offer them a much improved living environment. Their habitat at the zoo has recently been renovated to provide a more natural environment featuring dirt, grass, and pools to swim in.
Seoul Grand Park will reveal the new bear enclosure to the public on March 11, after finishing the yearlong renovation project. For the first time in 32 years, bears at the Seoul Zoo will be able to live in an eco-friendly environment.
Before image of the bear enclosure at Seoul Grand Park. (Image : Yonhap)
The project kicked off in March 2015, and 1.24 billion won was invested to make modifications to the bear enclosure.
Instead of concrete floors, the area now features dirt and grass. A small pool and fountain were installed to give the bears a chance to enjoy their love of water, and a large tree was planted to create shade and provide a cool resting place.
Wooden columns and large stones were also placed in the enclosure, in hopes of encouraging the bears to start climbing again.
The size of the enclosure was expanded by 26.7 percent, from 960 square meters to 1,225 square meters.
Improvements were also made for the convenience of visitors. Shades and photo zones were installed. An area where visitors can watch the bears up close, and a ‘peep zone’ where visitors can observe the bears through grass shaped stickers posted on a glass window have also been established.
After image of the bear enclosure at Seoul Grand Park. (Image : Yonhap)
The Seoul Zoo gave the bears a chance to avoid human eyes by providing them with hideouts.
“Instead of providing the bears with a cage where we just feed them and clear out their droppings, we tried to recreate a friendly space that resembles their natural habitat”, Song Cheon-heon, the head of Seoul Grand Park explained.
Image Credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
