Rare polar bear specimen roars into local museum

Credit: Wang Rongjiang / SHINE

Credit: Wang Rongjiang / SHINE

A rare giant polar bear specimen has arrived at the Shanghai Natural History Museum.

The specimen, with a height of nearly 3 meters, was revealed to the public on Thursday, when it quickly became a favorite among visitors.

The specimen was originally given as a gift to the Shanghai Jinqiao Export Processing Zone Development Co in 2000. For nearly two decades, it has been exhibited in the company’s office.

Last year, the company decided to donate the specimen and, asking for professional preservation, transported it to the museum in October.

For two months, experts fumigated, disinfected, repaired and re-colored the specimen to make it look more lifelike.

Polar bears are known as the “kings of the Arctic,” but illegal hunting and climate change have made them an endangered species. Currently, the world has less than 20,000 polar bears.

To protect the animals, an international agreement was set up in 1973 to ban hunting the bears.