We are very excited to announce our parntership with the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin.
This past season, we worked with zoo officials to provide a decommissioned Tundra Buggy® to be part of the zoo’s new Arctic Passage polar bear exhibit. Tundra Buggy 5, also known as the Ice Maiden, operated in Churchill from 1989 to 2008, and has been completely refurbished. The Ice Maiden plays an integral and interactive part in the new exhibit.
In late 1980s, Buggy 5 was an essential part of the growing Tundra Buggy® fleet. By 2002 she was retired from active ‘touring’ duty and in her later years, before being decommissioned, housed scientists and researchers on the tundra and helped Frontiers North Adventures accomplish important education and conservation goals.
Tundra Buggy 5 will help Henry Vilas Zoo’s visitors imagine what it would be like to trundle along on the tundra in northern Manitoba and experience polar bears in their natural environment. Her legacy will live on and help inspire a completely new generation of kids of all ages who may never have the opportunity to lock their gaze with a wild polar bear from a Tundra Buggy® in Churchill.
The Henry Vilas Zoo is one of just 10 remaining free zoos in the North America. The brand new 1.7 acre Arctic Passage polar bear exhibit is home to two female polar bears, Sara and Suki. In addition to the polar bears, the exhibit houses grizzly bears, harbor seals and interactive features such as an underwater viewing station, a flowing stream, and of course Tundra Buggy 5.
Currently in Churchill, Frontiers North operates a fleet of 13 Buggies which are used to bring people from around the world face-to-face with polar bears.
Our Tundra Buggies safari on an established network of trails, created in the 1950s, minimizing negative impacts to the tundra while still being in the centre of a breathtaking landscape.