Kaffee, Kuchen und Mercedes...the first pics for the press...

Gestern war die Presse geladen, Mercedes beim Erkunden ihres neuen Geländes zuzuschauen, erst gab's Kaffee und Gebäck, dann zeigte sich die schlagzeilenmachende "Diva, ...-

Yesterday the press was called in to have a look how Mercedes explores her new home...Some coffee and cones before and then the headlines' filling "diva" appeared...


Here some extracts of an article published today giving also some more tiny details about Monday ....

"The final goodbye was a particularly emotional one for Mercedes' keeper of 14 years, Alison Maclean, who will spend a week with her in her new Highland home helping her to settle in.

She said: "The journey to the Highland Park went without a hitch. We stopped off to allow a vet to check her on the way and she was completely calm, lying down in the crate.

"Since she arrived she has explored every corner of her new home and investigated a whole range of new smells. I'm sad to see her go but I'll be by her side for a week and I'll visit often."

Mercedes, who was named after the car company which paid for her to be brought to Scotland, looked particularly dapper on the day of the big move, kitted out in her best dress – a thick layer of mud gathered from a last roll around her pen.

She made the three-and-a-half hour journey on Monday accompanied by Alison, a vet and a small entourage of four zoo staff.

At 8am the half-tonne bear was tempted into the 10-foot crate with a cooked chicken, with the promise of her favourite food – a plate of sweetcorn – when she arrived at her new home. She was sent off on her journey by ten employees and the sound of several shrieking gibbons. ..."

Full article here...

Photo credits:
It's again thanks to Aaron Sneddon who seems to be uploading new pics permanently...)) And thanks to him I have been feeling absolutely privileged during the last days as sitting in the first row...
I asked him too about his personal impression and he confirmed that Mercedes is enjoying herself tremendously. "It's like Christmas for her..." Concerning the staff, that they will certainly miss Mercedes who was very dear to them but that the staff in the Highlands is highly qualified and devoted to the animals, so he thinks it will work out fine..Please enjoy Aaron's photo sets, it is certainly the most comprehensive photo archive concerning the move of a polar bear...