Brother bear? Calgary zoo polar bears meet face-to-face for the first time

Yellé (foreground) meets mesh-to-mesh with Siku (background) at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo earlier this week.

After making his debut to the public last week, Calgary’s newest polar bear is testing the waters with mesh-to-mesh meetings with the creature that could become his playmate.

Yellé — a 500-kilogram, 20-year-old male polar bear who recently located to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo from Quebec — had his first mesh-to-mesh meeting with Siku, the zoo’s longtime polar bear resident earlier this week.

Photos shared to the zoo’s social media pages show Yellé in the foreground meeting Siku through a mesh fence in their private enclosures.

“For short periods of time, the two bears had the chance to see, sniff, and hear each other up close,” the post said.

“Our dedicated Animal Care, Health & Welfare team closely monitored these interactions, noting positive behaviours from both bears — an encouraging step towards eventually sharing the habitat.”

The zoo says short introductions will continue and the progress of those introductions will be led by the comfort and wellbeing of both bears.

Yellé made his public debut at the zoo earlier this month, and zoo officials said he will take turns rotating through the public habitat before they’re allowed to be in it together.

He was brought into the zoo to keep 10-year-old Siku company, as the younger animal has always been around other polar bears.

His former playmate, seven-year-old Baffin, died in July 2024 after sustaining an injury and drowning during “rough play.”

The zoo has previously said there was no human error involved in Baffin’s death and there are always risks when putting animals together.

But so far, zoo officials have said Yellé is adjusting well in his new home as he gets to know the staff. Animal care manager Paul Woerner said Yellé seems like a “great old guy” who is easygoing and has been a “wonderful addition” to the zoo.

With files from CTV’s Kevin Fleming