Army to create new home for polar bear

by Nick Webster. Published Tue 19 May 2009 14:30, Last updated: 2009-05-19

A team of Army sappers from North West England are set to start construction of a new home for a polar bear in the Scottish Highlands.

Eighty soldiers from 75 Engineer Regiment (Volunteers), plus their digging equipment, are deploying to the Highland Wildlife Park, near Kingussie, to begin building a new enclosure for Mercedes, the polar bear currently in residence at Edinburgh Zoo.

The British Army agreed to get involved in this project through the ‘Military Aid to the Civil Community’ scheme.

The soldiers taking part come from bases in Warrington, Failsworth, Birkenhead and Stoke-on-Trent.

The criteria for agreeing to such MACC tasks include providing good training value for the soldiers involved.

Soldiers from 75 Engineer Regiment regularly support operations, such as in Afghanistan, so this project in Scotland offers ideal opportunity to brush up on their construction expertise.

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Ricketts, Commanding Officer of 75 Engineer Regiment, said: "As Royal Engineers, it is vital for us to keep on top of our construction skills.

"Moving from North West England to Scotland gives us chance to complete some challenging tasks, in an unfamiliar environment. We can also make a real contribution to the community by providing worthwhile causes with some new infrastructure."

Gary Wilson, Director of Business Operations for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which owns Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park, said: "This is the latest in a series of enclosures that the Army have helped us with.

Thanks to them, the cost of building a new home for Mercedes will be £75,000 instead of the original cost of £300,000.

"As we are a charity, assistance such as this is of great benefit to us and we are extremely grateful for their support. We are launching a public fundraising appeal to help us secure the remainder of the funds. If people are interested in donating they can do this at www.rzss.org.uk."

In addition to the polar bear enclosure – which, at around four acres, will be the largest in Europe – the soldiers will be building a new cattle grid to ease access to the Wildlife Park and the development of a woodland walk that will open up the drive-through area of the Park to visitors that would like to experience this on foot. They will also go to the RSPB’s Fairy Glen nature reserve near Rosemarkie to build a new footbridge.

The 75 Engineer Regiment is one of the Royal Engineers’ Territorial Army regiments. It is manned, mostly, by soldiers who combine their everyday civilian lives and ‘day jobs’ with a commitment to serving as professional soldiers on a paid, part-time basis, usually training at evenings or weekends.

The Regiment has training bases in Warrington, Failsworth, Birkenhead and Stoke-on-Trent. The TA is an integral part of the British Army, representing more than a quarter of its total manpower.

The polar bear enclosure at Highland Wildlife Park will be around four acres and have a large natural pool and a natural tundra environment in a climate ideal for a polar bear. It is hoped that Mercedes will be able to move in to her new home later in 2009.

Mercedes is the only polar bear in a UK zoo. She has been in Edinburgh since 1984. She was rescued from her native Canada after she was scheduled to be shot.

Then a wild animal, she had started to make visits into a town and the local authorities became concerned that she posed a dangerous risk to residents. Luckily, a local family became fond of her and asked RZSS to provide her with a new home. Mercedes, the car company, assisted with the costs of her transport, hence the name.

The Army’s involvement in this project has been authorised under MACC Category B criteria (routine assistance for special projects or events of significant value to the civil community). Such projects must show evidence of adding social value to the community and represent good training value for the military.

Royal Engineers soldiers are known as ‘Sappers’ and are multi-skilled as soldiers, combat engineers and tradesmen. From fighting alongside combat elements of the Army to purifying water and building bases in the Afghan desert for soldiers, the Royal Engineers have a vital role in the success of British military operations.

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