Two of the largest animals at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo are celebrating a milestone birthday Wednesday.

Grizzly bears Koda and Mistaya are turning 20, and Zoo Manager Jeff Mitchell says everyone is invited.

“We have a scavenger hunt where people can get a magnet or a postcard with a special bear birthday picture. We’re going to have some face painting. We’re going to have some cake and some Timbits, and it’s just going to be a really exciting time.”

Mitchell says although they aren’t siblings, the bears have spent most of their lives together, first living together at the Calgary Zoo.

“In the wild, grizzly bears will generally live between 15- and 17-years max. The oldest ones in the wild can get up to about 20. In zoos, with the care that we give, grizzly bears have been known to live up to 32 years old.”

He adds that the festivities continue all week, with deals happening at the cafe and gift shop, as well as Keeper Talks, where the public can ask questions and engage with the people who take care of the bears.

“Often, we don’t do a lot of big events like this, but for the milestone 20th birthday of Koda and Mistaya, we really wanted to do something special for them, and make sure the public really saw the care and appreciation we give.”

Care for the bears looks like spending 6-8 hours a day with their keepers, who feed, clean, play with, and engage the bears in positive reinforcement conditioning.

Work is also currently underway on designing a new habitat for the bears, which Mitchell expects will be operational in 3-4 years.