Two Bear-y Good Names for Grizzly Cubs

We have exciting news from Wild Canada — our grizzly cubs have been named!

Meet our grizzly brothers, ‘Fitz’ (lighter cub) and ‘Turner’ (darker cub). Both names are inspired by the area where the cubs are originally from — a tribute to their early life and iconic southern Alberta landscapes. Fitz is named after Fitzsimmons Creek near Diamond Valley and his brother, Turner, is named after Turner Valley.

In case you’re wondering, a full health exam has confirmed that both cubs, originally believed to be a male and a female based on an early visual check, are in fact both male!

The brothers have moved from the Animal Health Centre to their back-of-house space in Wild Canada, where they have settled in well. Both cubs are still somewhat shy and cautious, but they’ve been exploring more and more — and of course, taking many seasonally appropriate daytime naps.

While they spend most of their time together and seem to enjoy each other’s company, their personalities are quite different. Fitz is the bolder of the two, generally exploring new spaces first and staying out of the den longer than his brother. Turner is more reserved but incredibly intelligent — picking up new enrichment devices and training quickly, and bringing puzzle feeders back into the den.

We’ll continue to share updates about Fitz and Turner through the winter, and can’t wait for their on-park debut in spring.