European brown bear

Brown bear facts

Are there European brown bears at Whipsnade Zoo? 

Whipsnade Zoo is home to four European brown bears. Cinderella was joined by Mana, Minion and Naya in April 2023. Sisters Mana and Minion, moved to the UK’s largest zoo with Naya, from Orsa Predator Park in Sweden. 

Over winter, our bears are in torpor in their back dens, but they'll become more active again in the spring. To ensure you can get your fix of the beloved bears all year round, keepers have installed CCTV screens inside the bears’ bedroom, so that you can see them without disturbing their precious slumber. Look out for the screen outside the bear’s habitat. 

The CCTV footage from inside their cosy indoor den shows the zoo’s group, or ‘sloth’, of females snoozing peacefully on top of three-feet-deep soft straw beds to create the optimum conditions for a long snooze. The bears will then become more active again in the spring and they'll be back to galloping around their woodland home and playing in their pool. 

What do European brown bears look like? 

European brown bears are one of the largest species of bear. As the name indicates, they are covered in brown fur, with the colours varying from a yellow brown to a dark brown. The bears are equipped with large paws, and claws that can grow up to 10cm long! 

What do European brown bears eat?

A European brown bear’s diet is made up of a mixture of grasses, berries, sedges, fungi, mosses, nuts, fruit, honey, insects, birds and fish.

What threats do European brown bears face in the wild? 

While European brown bears are recognised as Least Concern on the IUCN red list, the threats they face include hunting and habitat loss. 

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