Jaunted

But back to the deal with the new Polar Bear Plunge experience, which opens at the end of March. It'll be a larger, more interactive way to meet the zoo's three polar bears and also learn about their environment—they'll all rescued orphans from the Churchill Ice Field in Alaska. You'll get to hang out with the trio up close and personal, but with a gated wall between you of course, as the experience allows you to smell the animals (not in a bad way!) and feel the gust of breath that is the way they greet others. Mmm polar bear breath.

In addition to just seeing the bears, visitors are going to be exposed to tons of exhibits designed to give them a feel for working with the animals and being part of the teams who are trying to save the species as their homes and hunting grounds disappear due to global warming. You can climb through an Arctic research helicopter, explore a polar snow den and pop your head through a seal’s breathing hole in ice. Visitors also can measure themselves against the impressive size of polar bears and see how much a human eats relative to a polar bear's ginormous diet.

And for those who really love polar bears, there are two ways you can really in touch with them and their dire survival situation: one is to watch the Zoo's polar bear cam and donate to the zoo so that they can support the bears and their Churchill projects, or two—you can head up to the Churchill Ice Field with them yourself and see bears in the wild in person. Contact the zoo to find out more on these trips, or just read an account of research life up there in Churchill to be sure it's a place you want to spend your vacation.

Related Stories:
· Polar Bear Plunge [San Diego Zoo]
· Google Uploads the San Diego Zoo to Map's Streetview [Jaunted]
· How to Get Closer to the San Diego Zoo's New Baby Panda [jaunted]
· Zoo news [Jaunted]

[Photos: Jaunted]