On hot days, according to the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek, the exhibition will represent safety not only for the polar bears, but also for several other animals.

“The bears can go back where it’s cooler, we also installed a snowmaker for them here, but unfortunately this pavilion was built in the 1930s and is on the south side where the temperature is high. This led us to prepare the so-called project Arctic, which means building a modern and generous space just for polar bears,” the director explained to Novinkám.

The polar bears will have two large enclosures, each with two saltwater pools. There will also be a parking area in the background. Residences will be structurally segregated, which will allow the females to create the absolute oasis of peace necessary for successful rearing, and a bear maternity ward is also planned.

A new pavilion will be issued with a building permit, but Bobek is concerned that funds may not be found for the pavilion. The zoo is resolving issues with its founder, the Prague city government.

“The total estimate for the exhibition complex is 800 million crowns,” said Bobek.

Caretakers deal with cooling, for example, even with gorillas, which come from Africa and generally tolerate heat relatively well – on hot days, they give them ice treats in the form of special ice cream.

“It was a pint cup of frozen vegetables and fruits. We put them in various places in the paddock, they find them and eat them. This is not only to calm them down, but also as a form of entertainment for them,” primate curator Jan Mengr explained to Novinkám.