Stockholm - Two polar bears have become the latest attractions at a bear park in the central Swedish province of Dalarna, reports said Tuesday. The two polar bears that have found a home at Orsa Gronklitt park are Ewa, who came from the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands, and Wilbar from Stuttgart Zoo in Germany.
The park is a sanctuary for other species of bears, but on Monday opened its new section for polar bears called Polar World that includes an artificial glacier and two pools, covering an area equivalent to six football fields.
Chief executive Torbjorn Wallin said the park would also engage in the breeding of polar bears.
The species is under threat due to global warming, which causes the Arctic sea ice to melt. The animals raise their young and hunt for food off the ice.
The world's polar bear population is estimated at between 20,000 and 25,000 animals.
The complex aims to offer visitors a chance to see the large mammals as well as offer information about research and other knowledge about bears and climate change in the Arctic region.
In addition to some 15 bears, the park is home to wolves, lynx, foxes, owls, wolverines and two Amur tigers.
