大象传媒

Where is Hamish the polar bear off to?

Polar bear cubImage source, RZSS/Si芒n Addison
Image caption,

Hamish was born at the Highland Wildlife Park in 2017

Exciting news klaxon - Hamish the polar bear is moving house!

The first polar bear to be born in the UK for 25 years is making the trip over the border from Scotland to England.

Hamish will be hoping to settle in his new neighbourhood quickly when he moves to Doncaster's Yorkshire Wildlife Park in October.

When asked about his big move, Hamish said something the sounded a bit like: "Roar". Seems pretty happy to us.

Hamish was born in Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore two and a half years ago.

He was the first polar bear to be born in the UK since December 1992.

According to the keepers at the park, Hamish's mum Victoria is looking forward to the peace and quiet.

Image source, RZSS
Image caption,

Hiya there Hamish how's it going? Hamish shares an enclosure with his mother Victoria

She's been sharing her enclosure with Hamish since he was born but he's now bigger than her and creates loads of mess.

Polar bears in the wild naturally leave their mothers behind between the ages of two and three.

Hamish will be joining five other male bears at his new enclosure.

Hamish is part of the European Endangered Species programme which aims to protect animals whose numbers are decreasing.

In July, it was reported that scientists fear polar bears are at risk of dying out by 2100 in the Arctic unless something is done about climate change.

Polar bears live on ice sheets and need this sea ice to catch their seal prey. Sea ice that stays in the Arctic for longer than a year has been declining at a rate of about 13% per decade since satellite records began in the late 1970s.