Safari Audio Guided Tour

Grrrrrrrrrrr! Hello adventurers and welcome to the Komminsk Family Kodiak Ridge exhibit here at the Toledo Zoo. This exhibit is home to our three Brown bears. Kodiak Ridge can be viewed from two different areas of the Zoo.

The main viewing area is at the end of Tiger Terrace to the left of the tiger exhibit. Have you ever just wanted to sit in a pool on a hot day? Well, the bears like to as well, though they can also be found in the pool when we think it is chilly. At this viewing, there is a 5,000-gallon pool for the bears. This pool sits right up against the glass so that visitors can get close to the bears as they cool off. This side of the exhibit also includes a 130-square-foot cave for them to nap in so you can see the bears even when they are snoozing. One of the coolest things about this exhibit is how close you can get to the bears. Built into this side of the exhibit is a log, which allows visitors to crawl in one side and the bears to crawl in the other with layers of metal mesh in between. It’s an exciting encounter that’s so close, you’ll be breathing the same air as the bears themselves!

The other viewing area is located at the end of Tembo Trail. On this side of the exhibit, you will enter a large, rocky, cave-like structure with big viewing windows. Along one section of the viewing window is a dedicated dig area for the bears. You can dig right along with the bears on the other side of the window so you can “play” with the bears.

The Toledo Zoo has two subspecies of Brown bear: a male Kodiak bear named Dodge and two female Grizzly bears named Montana and Cody. Brown bears are found in the forests and mountains of northern North America, Europe and Asia. The brown bear has a slight hump above its shoulder, round ears, a long snout and big paws with long, curved claws that it uses for digging. Brown bears are not always brown. Their fur can range from cream or silver to almost black. The Grizzly bear subspecies is named for the silvery tips at the end of its brown fur. Male Kodiak bears are the largest subspecies of Brown bear and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Standing on their hind legs, male Kodiak bears can reach over 10 feet tall. That is as tall as a basketball hoop!

What’s that smell? While you may not be able to tell, a Brown bear has an amazing sense of smell. Their ability to detect a scent is 1,200 times better than a human’s and seven times better than a bloodhound’s. This sense of smell helps them find food across their habitat. The Brown bear is omnivorous, meaning it eats both plants and meat. It eats berries, roots, fungi, grasses, fish, carrion, small mammals and insects. It is very good at catching fish and often uses its long claws to dig for insects and small mammals. The three bears at the Zoo often eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day along with some meat.

Sometimes people and bears do not mix well, and it is our job to help everyone live together. Here at the Zoo, we like to teach about how we got the bears and how people can do better to make sure both bears and humans stay safe in the wild. All three of our Brown bears came to the Toledo Zoo as orphans due to human-wildlife conflict. Cody and Montana are Grizzly bear sisters who were born in January 2015 at Yellowstone National Park and came to live at the Toledo Zoo at just six months old. Dodge, a Kodiak brown bear born on Kodiak Island in Alaska, also came to the Toledo Zoo as an orphan in 2015. Brown bears and humans share space, so conflict can happen. To help avoid this, remember that Brown bears have a very keen sense of smell. They are often just following their nose. If you live in or visit an area where there are Brown bears, make sure that your food and trash are stored properly in bear-proof containers and trash cans.

Thank you for visiting the Komminsk Family Kodiak Ridge exhibit here at the Toledo Zoo. We hope that visiting this exhibit has given you a chance to get up close with our Brown bears and gain a greater appreciation for these amazing animals. Enjoy the rest of your adventure here at the Toledo Zoo.