Your journey to GZ will bring you to the bear displays which were considered state-of-the-art when they were built in 1961. After the Hudson's Bay Company donated four polar bears to the zoo in 1962, these displays quickly became the most popular attraction at the zoo. Vancouver schoolchildren were allowed to choose names for Stanley Park's newest residents, and they decided on Nootka, Jubilee II, and Prince & Princess Rupert.
On a daily basis, throngs of tourists would mingle with the locals, everyone jostling for a glimpse of the polar bears diving, swimming, and playing. Often, when the crowds were just too thick, folks would wander over to the display next door where the black bears and brown bears lived. These smaller bears weren’t nearly as popular because they seemed to be asleep most of the time.
In the years after the zoo closure, the bear exhibit area hosted a salmon hatchery demonstration. In 2008, local artists evoked memories of the bears’ heyday by positioning burlap replicas within these forsaken enclosures that Mother Nature is gently trying to reclaim. Based on what I saw during my visit at the time I created this cache, the Parks Board appeared to be making an effort to clean the place up a little. It was about time, too. The facility was looking pretty run down.