Hard Hats if You Please.

Plastic hard hats are being donated to a wildlife park after the helmets became the favourite toy of the site's 58-stone male polar bear.

Gifts of the protective head wear started arriving at the Highland Wildlife Park after images of Walker chewing one appeared online.

Staff said Walker "lights up" when he sees someone bringing him a hard hat.

Walker shared an enclosure at the Kincraig park with aged bear Mercedes until she was put to sleep in April.

Head keeper Una Richardson said: "Polar bears are naturally very playful animals and Walker is no exception.


Walker relaxes in his pond with a hard hat "While he has many toys, including traffic cones and plastic barrels, he loves hard hats which he can pounce on and get a hold of with his jaw."

The head keeper first discovered Walker's affinity for the head gear when volunteers from the Royal Monmouthsire Regiment Territorial Army and the 73 Engineer Squadron Territorial Army visited the park to assist with construction projects.

Ms Richardson said: "Walker showed a huge interest in the volunteers' hard hats.

"He totally fixated on a hard hat one of the volunteers was holding, so we thought we would offer him one and see what he did with it."

She added: "Hard hats don't last very long once Walker's got a hold of them. After two days they are ruined so we are delighted to receive donations to keep up the supply."

The park is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

Re: Hard Hats if You Please.

I must admit it's good to see the polar bear with a simple diversion from the boredom of captivity.

Re: Hard Hats if You Please.

Whilst these animals are a joy to watch, I can't help feeling sorry for them in captivity

Re: Hard Hats if You Please.

I agree, a shame they're in captivity; but at least that alleviates some of the boredom for him.

Re: Hard Hats if You Please.

Hmmmmmmmm - what happens when a workman, wearing a hard hat happens to pass close to the Polar bear enclosure??? Will the bear look at it as if yet another 'gift' is being brought to me??? Seems to me this is inherently dangerous.

Furthermore, what damage is being done to the Bear's digestive system by 'sharp' pieces of plastic???

Re: Hard Hats if You Please.

He's not exatly in a small cramped place like a Zoo, His living quarters are the largest in Europe, covering some four acres and were built by Royal Engineers in training before deploying to Afghanistan.