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Gaze in Awe

Where else in the Northwest can you come nose-to-nose with a polar bear? Our Arctic Tundra. We’ve created a habitat just like the grassy tundra near Point Hope, Alaska – and filled it with massive muskoxen, an arctic fox and two playful polar bears.

🚧 The polar bear twins will be off and on exhibit temporarily as we enhance their habitat with a new, larger shade structure. Exactly when they are on exhibit will change daily depending on construction. 

Discover the Tundra

Meet the Keepers
Q: How do you care for polar bears?
A: Beary, beary carefully.
Our keepers love our bears, but caring for a large predator takes a lot of skill.
Daily Presentations
Find it
in the zoo
You can reach our Arctic Tundra area by walking through Red Wolf Woods or strolling through Rocky Shores. It’s a circle loop that brings you back in front of the Pacific Seas Aquarium.
Plan your day

Meet Our Animals

Polar bear
Muskox
Artic Fox (temporarily off view)

Protecting Polar bears

The ice is melting.

THE THREAT: Polar bears need sea ice to find their main food – seals. Without it, they either swim to exhaustion or stay on land, too close to humans. But because of climate change, the Arctic sea ice is melting.

TAKE ACTION: It’s not too late. Save sea ice for polar bears by driving less, avoiding idling, lowering your thermostat, using LED bulbs, eating local and minimizing consumption. Together we can do it!

Tundra Stories

POLAR BEAR EXAMS

Polar bear twins Astra and Laerke, both 3-years-old, received wellness exams in March (on different days). The exams were the first time the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium veterinarians and … Continued

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Feeding a Zoo & Aquarium

It takes many tons of food to feed the more than 12,000 animals that live at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. For example, zoo staff prepare 133,000 pounds of seafood … Continued

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Zoo Love

Love is in the air at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium! There’s no concrete way to measure an animal’s love, but many animals at the zoo are coupled up or … Continued

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Support Polar Bears
Want to help polar bear research? The Zoo's Dr. Holly Reed Conservation Fund helps support Polar Bears International as they tag and track bears in the Arctic to tell the story of the challenges they face. You can help.