The four polar bears in Asahikawa City’s Asahiyama Zoo were gifted with one salmon each from the Japan Expanded Polystyrene Association (Tokyo). The four polar bears dynamically devoured their salmon to the delight of zoo goers.

Japan Expanded Polystyrene Association has been gifting Asahiyama Zoo with salmon every year since 2008, making this the 14th time. The Association sends fish to zoos and aquariums nationwide to show support for polar bears, who are facing extinction.

On July 21, zookeepers in the Asahiyama Zoo Polar Bear Museum faced each polar bear and threw in salmons approximately 80 centimeters to one meter in length.
Some of the polar bears dove into the water, grabbed the salmon with their mouth, and went up onto the land to eat it. Visitors took pictures and videos on their smartphones and watched the scene intently.

According to a zookeeper in charge of taking care of polar bears, the polar bears normally eat small fish around 20 centimeters in size. “They were able to eat salmon that they never get, so it must have been an amazing experience for them.”