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Largest private donation in history of Saskatoon Zoo made Friday

By Keira Miller Jun 10, 2023 | 4:41 AM

The bears at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo are now closer than ever to getting a new home inside the park thanks to a generous donation from a Saskatoon couple.

At Friday’s 24th annual ZOOGALA, Tina and Jerry Grandey announced a $1 million donation to help build the bears, Mistaya and Koda, a new home. This was the largest private donation in the Zoo’s history. The new enclosure will be larger than the current one, complete with climbing structures, foraging opportunities, sleeping locations, additional plants and soil, and water features.

Zoo Manager Jeff Mitchell says the donation will help to ensure the best possible care of the grizzly bears, which arrived at the zoo in 2008 as orphaned cubs.