Miranda BrumwellA year ago, the Canadian Army’s adopted polar bear, Honorary Corporal Juno, arrived at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba to partake in Operation SOCIALIZATION.
Born on Remembrance Day 2015, the Toronto Zoo felt it appropriate to name HCpl Juno after Juno Beach. Shortly thereafter, the Canadian Army adopted her in an attempt to bring awareness to the challenges wild polar bears face every day.
Since being deployed to Winnipeg, HCpl Juno has taken part in training opportunities and social interactions needed to develop from a cub to a young adult polar bear. Throughout this period, HCpl Juno has remained strong and brave.
In an attempt to socialize her with other polar bears her age the honorary corporal was taken from the Toronto Zoo and deployed to Assiniboine Park Zoo.
She is currently posted to the Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre, located in the zoo. The centre is a transition and research facility for polar bear cubs, the only one in North America.
Allison Ginsburg, the Assiniboine Park Zoo’s Curator of Animal Care – Large Carnivores, told The Maple Leaf’s Army Public Affairs, Colour Sergeant Carin Dodsley, that HCpl Juno leads a very active lifestyle. The polar bears are fed multiple times a day, engage in interactive activities and have access to both indoor and outdoor habitats.
As HCpl Juno continues with her training through Operation SOCIALIZATION during the summer and continues to hit her milestones to that of an average adult polar bear, she will be returned to the Toronto Zoo where she was born.
When she returns home, HCpl Juno will be more than capable of handling any difficulties she may face when back in Toronto.
To read more about HCpl Juno click here.
