WALKER the polar bear plays with his favourite toy, a hard hat, after being given the all-clear following a medical check.
The three-year-old bear weighed 39 stone when he arrived at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie, Inverness-shire, in December 2010, but yesterday he was tipping the scales at 63 stone.
By the time he is fully grown at the age of six he will weigh an estimated 80 to 110 stone.
Una Richardson, head keeper responsible for Walker, the only polar bear on public display in the UK, said: "The weigh-in with Walker went extremely well. We managed to tempt him on to the scales with a few of his favourites: sardines.
"We are really pleased with Walker's weight. He's a big boy at 403kg, which is around 63 stone. It's slightly higher than what we had expected."
It was also revealed the park could be home for a second polar bear by the end of this year. Ms Richardson said: "We have hopes of getting Walker a mate sometime this year but at the moment he is enjoying his bachelor lifestyle."
Pictures: PA
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