Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Swim with Polar Bears in Canada


Get in the water and swim with polar bears in Cochrane, Ontario, Canada.

Polar Bear Habitat & Heritage Village offers visitors the chance to get up close and personal with the furry animals in the water.

This is the world's first and only polar bear rehabilitation center with a special pool to allow guests to swim next to the amazing creatures – with a thick glass wall separating the two spaces, of course.

The non-profit polar bear habitat rescues polar bears whose well-being is endangered. Right now, the center is home to three bears – Nanook, age 24, and Nikita and Aurora, four-year-old twins, who are playful and cute and people-friendly, and safe to play with on the other side of a glass wall.

You don't have to jump in the chilly water with them, but it's more fun than watching them from dry land. The polar bear habitat and museum village is open year round, but chance to swim with the polar bears is only open from mid-May to mid-October.