Salmon cake for birthday bear Hamish

hamish

THE first polar bear to be born in the UK in 25 years celebrated his first birthday yesterday with locally farmed fresh salmon.
Hamish, who shares an enclosure with his mother, Victoria, at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland\’s Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, near Aviemore, was given a special salmon cake, supplied by Wester Ross Fisheries, to mark the day.
The salmon farmer has provided fresh and smoked salmon to polar bears at the wildlife park for four years and has tracked Hamish’s progress from birth.
Gilpin Bradley, managing director at Wester Ross Fisheries, said: ‘The whole Wester Ross team has been charmed by the baby polar bear.
‘We are delighted to be able to contribute to such a special occasion with fresh Wester Ross Salmon for his fish and veggie birthday cake.
‘It is fantastic that four out of four Scottish polar bears recommend Wester Ross salmon as one of their favourite treats.
‘We all wish Hamish a very happy birthday! Highland Wildlife Park can count on us for more sustainable Scottish salmon in the future.’
Una Richardson, head carnivore keeper at Highland Wildlife Park, said: ‘It has been an incredible year and we’re really excited to be celebrating Hamish’s first birthday.
‘We’re hoping Hamish enjoys the day as much as we are, and we’ve made him a special birthday cake made from ice and fresh Wester Ross salmon, kindly donated by Wester Ross Fisheries.
‘Our mischievous cub has grown so much since he took his first steps outside in March and is rapidly catching up to his mum, Victoria, although he still has some way to go until he reaches his full adult size, as male polar bears can weigh up to 800kg.’
Hamish, whose father Arktos, is kept in an area in a different part of the park, is currently estimated to weigh 120kg.
In the lead up to Hamish\’s birth and after he was born, Victoria\’s enclosure was closed off to the public, but once the area was opened again to visitors in March, thousands of people came to catch a glimpse of the cub.
Earlier this month, the zoo, in the Cairngorms, had its record 200,000th visit of 2018. The previous best year for visitor numbers was 2016 with 136,704 visits.
Picture: Hamish (photo: Royal Zoological Society of Scotland)

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