Welcome to the big wide world, littl’ un!
THE nation’s hearts melted when we were treated last week to pictures of the first polar bear to be born in Britain for 25 years.
Now enchanting images of the moment the cub made its unsteady entrance from its den into the big wide world have been revealed.
The footage highlights the maternal instincts of the animal’s mother Victoria, who prepared a ramp out of snow to help make her baby’s magical moment a little smoother.
The three-month-old, whose sex is not yet known, can be seen clambering out of its den, eating snow and sliding along the ice. A camera inside the den also shows it taking a tumble as it learns to walk. The arrival of the unnamed cub is expected to cause an ‘explosion’ in visitor numbers at the Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland, when the enclosure is opened up to the public.
A Channel 4 documentary tomorrow – Britain’s Polar Bear Cub – will chart the long wait keepers at the zoo had before Victoria was successfully mated with another resident polar bear, Arktos.
No one was certain Victoria was pregnant until the cub – the size of a guinea pig – suddenly arrived. Douglas Richardson, head of living collections at the wildlife park, said the youngster was developing perfectly and making promising ‘squealing noises’.
An update on the zoo’s website this week said: ‘ Although the cub is still feeding on Victoria’s milk, we have seen it picking up carrots and apples in its mouth and chewing on meat…
‘Victoria is very calm around her cub, which sticks close to mum, often staying under her body and moving between her legs as she moves. He/she has been investigating the outdoor environment and we have put out items such as small logs to climb on, which will aid muscle development. A small bath of water has also been introduced as a prelude to the pool in the main enclosure.’
‘Heard it making squealing noises’