Hard hats a bear necessity at wildlife park

Fans of the UK’s only polar bear have showered him with gifts of his favourite toy – plastic hard hats.

Keepers at the Highland Wildlife Park in Inverness-shire, where Walker the polar bear lives, discovered his penchant for the headgear when volunteers from the Royal Monmouthshire Regiment Territorial Army and the 73 Engineer Squadron Territorial Army visited to assist with construction projects.

Head keeper Una Richardson said: “Walker totally fixated on a hard hat one of the volunteers was holding, so we thought we would offer him one and see what he did with it.”

Since then fans have been sending him some as gifts. So far the bear has received ten, many of which have been bought new especially for him.