Polar Passage

At the Oregon Zoo’s expansive new Polar Passage, visitors can come eye to eye with polar bears as they roam over natural, tundra-like terrain, play in piles of snowy ice and plunge into deep, chilled, saltwater pools. Two large connecting habitats provide animals and caregivers with maximum choice and flexibility. At the exhibit’s Arctic Science Center, guests can watch as caregivers collaborate with the animals on their own healthcare and demonstrate the zoo’s work collecting data for conservation scientists in the Arctic. Educational displays provide information on how guests can help fight climate change, a threat to polar bears and other wildlife worldwide. The exhibit’s built-in sustainability features reinforce this theme — e.g., bird-friendly glass to prevent strikes, a filtration system that saves millions of gallons of water a year, and an underground “Slinky” (geothermal loop) that redirects heat generated at Polar Passage to warm the nearby elephant habitat.