‘Big milestone’: Saskatoon Zoo’s grizzlies turn 20

WATCH: It was a special birthday for two residents of the Saskatoon Zoo as the two grizzlies turned 20.

The Saskatoon Zoo held a special celebration on Wednesday for Koda and Mistaya, a pair of grizzly bears who have just turned 20.

Dozens of families came out to line the fence and get a look at the two bears as they enjoyed a slight change from their usual days.

“We’re really, really excited with the turnout,” said Jeff Mitchell, Saskatoon Zoo manager. “We love that, our bears are 20 years old.”

The bears came to the zoo 17 years ago after being orphaned in Alberta.

Mitchell says they’ve already lived a long life by bear standards.

“In the wild, bears will live anywhere from 15 to 18 years,” he said. “So to reach that 20 year milestone, it’s a really big milestone for them. And we’re just really excited to be able to share our passion and our love for these animals with the community.”

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Kids were able to learn more about the bears and sign a birthday card for them.

While there was cake for the visitors, there was cake for the bears too.

“Well, it looks like they’ve been swimming,” said Emerey, a zoo visitor. “And it looks like one was eating watermelon. The other was eating birthday cake.”

Some kids were even celebrating the same birthday as the bears.

“It’s my birthday,” said Nina, another visitor to see the bears. “I was going to get face painted, but the line is really long. But this is the best birthday ever.”

It was also a chance for the zoo to announce plans for a new six acre bear habitat.

“What we’re really looking forward to is building the new bear habitat,” said Mitchell. “And we’re building the new bear habitat to polar bear standards, so that when Koda and Mistaya are no longer with us, we’re able to bring polar bears and look to the future.”

He says over the next year the Zoo Foundation will be fundraising, and the hope is that construction starts in the next year and a half to two years time.

Meanwhile, visitors can get behind the scenes tours to learn more about the bears on Saturdays and Sundays.