Taking a new look at Calgary’s Polar Bear Complex in 1973

George Colpitts examines the circumstances that helped determine the design of Calgary’s Polar Bear Complex in 1973.

The recent re-introduction of polar bears at the Calgary zoo again raises questions about how social and economic factors influence the design of enclosures for these Arctic icons. In his article for NiCHE (Networks in Canadian History & Environment), George Colpitts examines the environmental and fiscal circumstances that helped determine the design of Calgary’s Polar Bear Complex in 1973.