Four new Polar Bears move into Yorkshire Wildlife Park after recommended as best place for species

• Pictures from Yorkshire Wildlife Park

A new Polar Bear and her three cubs have moved into Yorkshire Wildlife Park after the zoo was recommended as being the best home for them by the European Endangered Species Programme.

Flocke, aged 12, and her triplets Indiana, Yuma and Tala will move into their own enclosure away from the park's other male bears.

The four bears moved from their home in France to the park near Doncaster to take the total of bears at the zoo to eight, which is the largest number of bears at one place outside of Canada.

Dr Charlotte Macdonald, Animal Director at the park, said: "We have been delighted to welcome the new polar bears to YWP, especially a complete family.

"YWP has built a reputation as a leader in polar bear welfare and conservation.

"The bear family are currently in quarantine in their reserve and are settling in well and we hope to be able to announce an opening date for visitors to see them soon – I am sure that our visitors can’t wait to meet them.

"But, more importantly, these moves will help us in our campaign to ensure that polar bears can survive and prosper in the wild."

The park is hoping that the arrival of the bears will encourage people to support their campaigns to protect the species in the wild.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation Trustee Cheryl Williams said: "Polar bear mothers in the wild have a hard time – impacted by oil and gas exploration but most of all by climate change and the loss of sea ice in the Arctic.

"Working together with YWP , the Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation will continue to work to conserve polar bears and inspire people to care about them and the Arctic."