A new home for polar bears trained in French

Canada's Calgary Zoo has assigned a dedicated French-speaking zookeeper for newly arrived polar bears. This is because this polar bear had previously been trained using French commands.

Yelle, a 20-year-old male polar bear, recently moved from a facility in Quebec, Canada to the Calgary Zoo in Alberta. Yelle has been accustomed to French signals, and is currently in the process of learning new English commands. The zoo explained that they were, in effect, teaching Yelle 'bilingualism'.

Minimize stress with gradual language transition

The Calgary Zoo said on its official social media that "Yelle's previous care team had been using French signals during training," and that "these signals may still be effective while the animal is adapting to its new environment."

To achieve this, a member of Yelle's dedicated care team moved in with her and is currently working with Calgary Zoo staff. Yelle is helping you adapt by sharing your knowledge about signals and daily routines that you already know.

A zoo official said, “This process focuses on consistency,” and “the goal is to help Yelle feel comfortable and settle in successfully in her new home.”

English training begins, meeting with fellow polar bears is also planned

Zoo staff began gradually transitioning to English commands. A zoo spokesperson confirmed: “Our team has started using English in training.”

Rather than immediately changing the command, a step-by-step approach was taken so that Yelle could gradually adapt. If the transition process goes smoothly, Yelle will meet another polar bear, Siku.

Meaning from an animal welfare perspective

This case shows the importance of a careful approach that considers welfare when moving animals between zoos. It is not just about physical movement, it is about respecting the communication methods the animal has previously learned and providing enough time for the animal to adapt to the new environment. In the zoo industry, these ‘animal-centered’ migration protocols are gradually spreading.