NEWS IN ENGLISH 1 / 2012
A PAIR OF POLAR BEARS AT RANUA ZOO GIVE BIRTH TO THE FIRST SURVIVING POLAR BEAR CUB BORN IN FINLAND Zoo officials say the cub, which was born on Friday the 18th of November, is growing and developing well. The cub weighed approximately half a kilogramme at birth. Now, at three months of age, it has grown to about six kilogrammes.
Successful polar bear births are extremely rare in captivity, with one third of newborn cubs failing to survive the critical first 24 hours. Half of all polar bear cubs born in captivity die before reaching the age of five days and the one-month survival rate is only 40%. Ranua Zoo officials have also confirmed the gender of the new cub. Cameras aimed at the polar bears’ nest indicate that the cub is male. Intendant Mari Heikkilä from Ranua Zoo says zoo officials have not yet had the opportunity to conduct a physical examination of the cub. For safety reasons, the zoo’s medical staff will not ap-
proach the nest while mother Venus is there. “We won’t even try to examine the cub until March. Separating the mother from the cub could lead to the cub wanting to follow the mother outside,” Heikkilä explains. The cub is still too young to experience the world outside the nest. In March, depending on weather conditions, the cub may be able to take its first steps outside. However, the deep snow may present challenges to a little polar bear cub. “Maybe one of the zookeepers can beat a path for the cub through the snow,” says Mari Heikkilä with a laugh. YLE Lapland