Brodie the Polar Bear has arrived at award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park
A polar bear has arrived on holiday at the award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park, where it is hoped he will be reunited with his brother.
17 December 2025
Brodie has been temporarily moved to Yorkshire Wildlife Park from Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland while building work is carried out on his enclosure.
He will be introduced to his older brother, Hamish, who moved to Yorkshire from Scotland five years ago, once Brodie has settled into his new home.
Dr Charlotte MacDonald, Director of Animals, said: “We are delighted to welcome Brodie to Project Polar and are looking forward to seeing what he makes of his big brother Hamish and his other new friends here. It will be quite an experience for him!
“It may be a while before we can assess whether Brodie can be introduced to Hamish and the other bears, and we will be monitoring him closely.” “It is important that he settles into his new home before he meets the other polar bears.” “Any initial introductions will take place via a wire mesh to ensure all the bears are safe and relaxed.”
Bex Brown, who heads up the park’s Carnivore Team, is pleased with how Brodie is settling in so far.
“It will be quite a change for Brodie, who has been on his own for a while and, before that, was just with his mother. He will have to learn a whole new set of polar bear social skills as he gets to know the older adult bears here.
“The other bears are very interested now that they have seen him in the distance, though I think he is probably wondering, ‘Who are all these bears?’ He is really keen to see them, which is positive, and over the next few weeks we will start to introduce him to the other bears individually through the mesh to see how they react to each other. Hamish is used to being the centre of attention, so it will be interesting to see what he thinks of the new kid on the block!”
Project Polar spans 10 acres and was designed to replicate the Arctic tundra found in northern Canada during the summer. It is home to Nobby, Hamish, Luka, Sisu, Indiana and Yuma.
Darren McGarry, Head of Living Collections at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), said: “While we will miss Brodie while he is on holiday, it is great to be able to fully concentrate on the work needed in his habitat.
“His brother Hamish has been wonderfully cared for by the team at Yorkshire, and we know they will look after Brodie with the same expertise. We can’t wait to see how they interact when they are introduced in the future.”
Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which puts conservation at the heart of all its activities, offers visitors a unique walkthrough experience, coming almost face-to-face with some of the world’s most beautiful and rare species, including Amur Leopards and Tigers, Giraffes, Sea Lions and Black Rhinos.
Yorkshire Wildlife Resort boasts The Hex Wildlife Hotel and The Yorkshire Hive – the shopping, dining and entertainment village.