Grizzly bears set for move to new habitat at Great Bend zoo

After five months of construction and years of planning, the four grizzly bears at Great Bend's

will soon have a chance to play in their new habitat, more than three times bigger than the space they currently occupy.

Piglet, a five-year-old grizzly and her three friends at the zoo will make the move in a little more than a month.

Highlights of the new habitat include the expanded space and a new place to swim.

"Now they have a pool that's 20 times the size of what they had plus a stream with running water," says Brit Spaugh Zoo Curator Sara Hamlin. "They're just going to love it."

The renovation also benefits guests who will be able to look inside the bear's den by peeking through outside stones," Hamlin says.

She says the renovation and expansion will help the bears feel more like they would in their natural habitat.

"We wanna make sure even though they aren't living in the wild that we are representing them just like their wild cousins, that we are giving them all the same opportunities," Hamlin says.

The renovation costs a little more than $800,000. The bear's new habitat at the Brit Spaugh Zoo officially opens to the public June 2.