Home Business News‘Outstanding achievement’: UK’s first polar bear cub born in 25 years

‘Outstanding achievement’: UK’s first polar bear cub born in 25 years

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3rd Jan 18 10:57 am

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For the first time in 25 years, a female polar bear has given birth to a cub in the UK.

Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) confirmed the birth at the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig after the staff heard high-pitched sounds from the maternity unit of the mother bear, Victoria.

Una Richardson, the parkโ€™s head keeper, said: โ€œWhile we are absolutely thrilled, we are not celebrating prematurely as polar bear cubs have a high mortality rate in the first weeks of life due to their undeveloped immune system and the motherโ€™s exaggerated need for privacy, with any disturbance risking the cub being killed or abandoned.โ€

The park will, however, keep Victoriaโ€™s enclosure closed to the public until March.

Barbara Smith, RZSS chief executive, said: โ€œThe birth of the first polar bear cub in the UK for a quarter of a century is an outstanding achievement which will arouse interest around the world. It is testament to the commitment and professionalism of our team and hugely exciting.

โ€œAt RZSS we believe we have a duty to help protect this magnificent species, with the reduction in sea ice, the polar bearโ€™s primary seal hunting platform, predicted to significantly reduce numbers over the next 40 years.โ€

The last polar bear cubs born in the UK were twins at Flamingo Land in Yorkshire on 8 December 1992.

In another news, a polar bear cub at a Berlin zoo died aged 26 days.

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