Helsinki Zoo Brown Bears Wake from Hibernation and Play in the Snow

In early March 2013, the brown bears at Helsinki’s Korkeasaari Zoo stepped out of their winter quarters for the first time since November and threw themselves straight into the snow. The zoo’s footage of two bears rolling, sliding and exploring their snowy enclosure became a small viral hit, and a perfect sign that spring was on its way in Finland.

The bears had spent about four months resting in their den. Once outside, they wasted no time getting into the fresh powder.

Korkeasaari, Helsinki’s island zoo

Korkeasaari Zoo opened in 1889 on Korkeasaari island, just off central Helsinki, and is the largest zoo in Finland. It covers about 22 hectares and keeps around 150 species. Bridges link the island to Mustikkamaa and, via the Crown Bridges, to Laajasalo. Since 2017 the zoo has been run by a nonprofit foundation.

The brown bears live in an enclosure called the Bear Castle, where a doorway links their sleeping quarters with the outdoor area seen in the video.

Watch the bears return to the snow

The footage shows the bears leaving their sheltered doorway, exploring the enclosure and rolling on their backs in the snow after months of rest.

How brown bears hibernate

Bear hibernation is a remarkable feat of physiology. According to the US National Park Service, a hibernating bear’s heart slows to about 8 to 10 beats a minute and it takes roughly one breath a minute. Its body temperature drops only slightly, to around 31 °C, far less than in small hibernators such as ground squirrels, whose body temperature falls close to freezing.

• Bears do not eat, drink, urinate or defecate during hibernation.
• Their kidneys almost shut down, and urea is recycled into proteins that maintain muscle and organs.
• They can still burn more than 4,000 calories a day, living off fat stored in summer and autumn.
• By spring they may lose up to a third of their body weight, yet emerge without losing muscle or bone density.

Researchers hope this ability could one day help treat human kidney, heart and bone diseases.

Brown bears in Finland and the wild

The Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) can live up to 30 years. After leaving the den, bears eat meat and carrion; in autumn they fatten up on berries, mushrooms and other energy-rich foods. Females give birth in January while still hibernating. The cubs are born blind and almost hairless, nurse in the den for about two months and follow their mother for about two years.

Worldwide, the brown bear is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, while in Finland it is classed as Near Threatened. Visit Korkeasaari in late winter and you may catch the bears’ first outing of the year.

Explore more animals in the snow: a trained-bear film and red pandas exploring a snowy zoo setting.

Sources