Looks scary, but this particular zoo bear is made of fibreglass

Competition at the Zoo Until the end of September, the Johannesburg Zoo is running a competition as a fund-raising venture. Buy a plush toy - an elephant or a spider monkey - at a price of R280, at www.bidorbuy.co.za. The price includes the cost of the soft toy, funds for the zoo, door-to-door delivery of the toy - and more, because each buyer can enter his or her name into a lucky draw. The prize up for grabs is a two-night stay for two adults at Khoya Moya game lodge in the Northern Province, valued at R3 400. For more information contact Teresa Slacke of the Johannesburg Zoo at: (011) 646-2000

Dominic Moss, a nature conservationist and keeper at the Johannesburg Zoo

The only polar bears in Africa September 18, 2002 By Mandisi Majavu THE only polar bears in Africa have so adapted to the climate that they don't go into their cold rooms anymore. Geebee and Wang, the polar bears at the Johannesburg Zoo, arrived when they were six months old, 16 years ago. Geebee came from Canada and Wang from Japan; both were swapped for lions. Their lack of interest in the cold room in their enclosure is not the only difference from polar bears in the wild. Geebee and Wang have also lost the hair under the pads of their feet, which in the wild is necessary to protect them against ice and snow. A white bear stretches out under the African sun A change of diet may have something to do with it. They are fed chicken and rabbit, as opposed to the seal meat that they would normally eat under Arctic conditions, says Dominic Moss, a nature conservationist and keeper at the Johannesburg Zoo. He says, "Seals have a layer of blubber that helps the bears to build up a thick layer of fat to insulate them against the extreme cold of the Arctic." Geebee is the female and Wang is male. However, "we do not expect our bears to breed because it doesn't get cold enough to stimulate their breeding cycle. They breed in their winters, which can get as cold as -40 degrees," he says. When the bears first arrived, according to Moss, they used the refrigerator room that was especially built for them, but after a couple of years they adapted to the heat, and they just never used the room again. However, when snow was poured into their enclosure during a children's snow week-end a couple of months ago, the bears looked home-sick, revelling in it. These animals are known for their swimming skills, and the Zoo has made efforts to make them feel at home by building a swimming pond for them. The biggest bears in the bear family, their acute sense of smell combined with swimming skills - the Zoo has built them a dam - makes them intelligent hunters. Their white coats ensure excellent camouflage against the snow and are water-repellent. RELATED ARTICLES: Snow at the zoo Up and close with the lions at the zoo Largest snakes in Africa Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400