Lomography

Polar Bear Pit (Vancouver)
written by fash_on on May 9th, 2008 , 2 comments (1 vote)

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It’s a sad story really, not far from the excellent Vancouver Aquarium, just a short walk of about 100 meters you will find an abandoned Polar Bear Pit which was once a part of the now defunct Stanley Park Zoo.

In a 1994 referendum, Vancouverites voted to phase out the zoo rather than upgrade it. But the zoo didn’t officially close until 1997 after polar bear Tuk, the last remaining resident died aged 36. He had been a resident for over 30 years, brought in as an abandoned cub and unfortunately was not relocated after the referendum due to old age and ill health.

On a more positive note, the pit area was later converted into a salmon hatchery, but the outer walls and terraces remain, overgrown and eerie. A small cage can be seen in the bottom of the pit, maybe it was used to bring the bears into the exhibit all those years ago?

Getting there: http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/Parks/parks/stanley/