UK's only polar bear moved due to global warming

Britain's only polar bear is now settling into her new home after being moved north from the Edinburgh Zoo so that she might escape the effects of climate change.

A 27-year-old polar bear named Mercedes, who has spent the last 25 years in a small enclosure at the Edinburgh Zoo, has been moved to a new four-acre enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park outside Kingussie, reports the Telegraph. The area is known to be one of the coldest parts of Britain. Mercedes was brought to the UK from Canada in 1984 after she was rescued from being shot for repeated visits to a small town. Her name comes from Mercedes Benz who donated the funds to transport her from Canada in a crate normally used to transport rhinos. Mercedes has been one of the Edinburgh Zoo's most popular attractions, but she has also been drawing the attention of animal rights activists who have been consistently critical of her cramped living conditions, where visitors would watch her pace back and forth for all of these years. According to Polar Bears International, bears in captivity can live until their mid to late thirties, and one polar bear lived until the age of 41 at the London Zoo. Zookeepers at her new home say Mercedes is coping "admirably", and in an interview with the Times, Douglas Richardson, the park’s animal collection manager, said, “You’d think she had been here for years as opposed to just two days. We let her out for the first time on Wednesday for a few hours when it was nice and quiet and she just cruised right out. She is very, very calm. And for her as an individual it will better her quality of life. It will improve markedly just because of the sheer size of the enclosure.” Mercedes' new home is one of the largest bear enclosures in the world, making estimates for its construction rather expensive but when the army stepped in to help, it brought the costs down to approximately $125,000, reports the Times. Her new digs include a new tundra-like enclosure, complete with its own pool, viewing platform and car park. Mercedes' partner Barney died 13 years ago. They had two cubs together, To-Nuik and Ohoto, who were moved to zoos in other countries says the Times. In an interview with the Times, Angela Maclean, Mercedes's head keeper at Edinburgh Zoo said, "She has been a big part of our lives and has played a big part in the lives of the people in Edinburgh," she said. "I hope people will come and see her at her new retirement home."