Polar bears have always been some of the coolest creatures around, especially in a zoo setting. While zoos are at times a bit #troubling when you get down to it (because they are places where animals are held in small enclosures), but they are a still a joy to visit and bring us closer to nature than most of us will ever get to be otherwise. Polar bears are usually some of the highlights of any zoo, mostly because they get these big, multi-level enclosures that include a tank for diving into, rocks for them to climb and lounge around on and sometimes even slides.
In a way, polar bears are the main attraction at most zoos, centerpieces even. The reality of our changing environment means that polar bears don’t exactly have it easy out in the real world and that zoos are still a safe place for them. They’re also a place where research is done on these majestic animals in hopes of keeping them alive for many years to come. According to CBC, researchers in Canada have been coming up with creative ways of tracking where each of their polar bears in the Assiniboine Zoo in Manitoba have been hanging out and, well, pooping.
What is this creative method? Colored glitter. Each bear is being fed their usual meals alongside colored glitter, with each bear assigned a certain color to help zookeepers to track where each bear is spending their time and defecating. The glitter is, of course, safe and just passes right through them and is an important tool for the zookeepers to monitor the health of each of the nine bears at the Assiniboine Zoo.
(Via CBC)
