Behind-the-scenes experiences at Assiniboine Park Zoo

The Assiniboine Park Zoo is pulling back the curtain this summer on the work behind the scenes to care for animals. Daniel Halmarson has a sneak peek.

Assiniboine Park Zoo is giving visitors a chance to get up close and personal with some of its most beloved animals starting next month.

The zoo is offering behind-the-scenes experiences with its polar bears, harbour seals, Amur tigers, and snow leopards on select dates between May and October. There’s also an experience that explores the relationship between elk and wolves.

Zoo staff say these tours are an opportunity to see what day-to-day life looks like for residents including Star, a 13-year-old polar bear who has called Assiniboine Park Zoo home since 2014.

“A behind-the-scenes polar bear experience involves getting behind the fences… and learning from our animal care professionals a little bit about their daily routine, how we care for them, and how those bears – through positive reinforcement training – participate in their own care,” Barret Miller, Assiniboine Park Conservancy’s education and programs manager, told CTV News Monday.

Positive reinforcement training for polar bears includes healthy treats, toys, and other enrichment items to keep the animals engaged, active, and fulfilled.

In Star’s case, those healthy treats include heads of romaine lettuce.

“They absolutely love romaine lettuce,” Michael Veltri, an animal care professional at the zoo, told CTV News. “I don’t know why, but they will train for that over almost anything else.”

The leafy green reward allows the animal care team to check Star’s nose, eyes, ears, paws, and teeth daily.

“You have to be able to take a look at all of the parts of the bear,” Veltri explained. “For big animals like this, it’s very important that we don’t need the vets coming down every time something happens.”

During the behind-the-scenes experience, guests even have a chance to feed Star themselves with the help of animal care professionals and a trusty pair of tongs.

“Not very many people get to get this close to a polar bear and get to participate in some of the training with them,” Veltri said.

Barret Miller said these intimate encounters help visitors better understand the role of the modern zoo.

“I like to say that we’ve moved from entertainment to education,” Miller explained. “[Star] can be an ambassador for her species, so she can put fur and claws to the story about habitat loss and why we need for care for our climate.”

Miller added participating in an animal’s daily routine can be a bucket list moment and an opportunity to act.

“Take that warm, fuzzy feeling and think about, ‘what’s one simple thing that I can do to add a little bit less carbon to the atmosphere this week? What’s one simple thing that I can do to protect the habitat in my backyard?”

Details on Assiniboine Park Zoo’s behind-the-scenes experiences can be found online.