Since arriving last October from Edinburgh Zoo, Mercedes, the only polar bear in a UK zoo, has been keeping healthy and now her weight has confirmed her well-being.

Mercedes was weighed at the Highland Wildlife Park  earlier; after staff persuaded to walk onto mechanical scales in her enclosure.

By tempting her with cod liver oil and horse meat they eventually managed to have her ready for her weigh-in. Staff at the Highland Wildlife Park had a heavy workload as they controlled the UK's only polar bear.

Eventually the reading showed she weighs 291 kilos. Until now keepers have never been able to get a true picture of her weight. This measurement is key for health monitoring purposes, and also for ensuring that correct dosages of medicines.

Douglas Richardson from the park, explains the process: 

“Mercedes’ keepers have done an excellent job in gradually and gently enticing her onto the scales that are placed in a small passageway that connects her two roofed den areas.  Although Mercedes is actually quite gentle for a polar bear, we still need to be very careful when working close to her, even when separated by a wall of steel mesh, as she is very capable of harming any one of us. 

"The real drive to get her weighed accurately is to allow us to carry out a comprehensive health check.  She gives all the signs of being in perfect health, but she is at the upper end of a polar bear’s lifespan and we want to ensure that we are not missing any potential age-related problems that may reduce her quality of life if they are not dealt with. 

"All wild animals are pre-conditioned to hide illness to avoid predation or harassment, and a zoo polar bear is no exception, so her pending health check is very important.”

Edinburgh Zoo was home to Mercedes the polar bear before she moved to the Highland Wildlife Park at the end of last year.

Mercedes was rescued from her native Canada after she was scheduled to be shot. Unfortunately, she began roaming into a nearby town in search of food and, as they are dangerous animals, this behaviour had to be discouraged.

Initially, she was captured and the number ‘39’ was painted on her coat which allowed her to be tracked. On her third visit the decision was made to shoot her. Luckily, she was rescued and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) offered her a home at Edinburgh Zoo.

Now at the Highland Wildlife Park, Mercedes has her own four and a half acre purpose-built enclosure where she has settled in extremely well. Merceded has been on her own for 13 years, which is the natural state for this solitary species.