First UK polar bear cub in 25 years born

A POLAR bear cub has been born in Britain for the first time in 25 years, after zookeepers allowed its parents into the same enclosure to mate for three times as long as normal.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said yesterday that Victoria, its resident female polar bear, had given birth at the Highland Wildlife Park, in the Cairngorms National Park. Even the park’s zookeepers have not seen the cub, after its mother dislodged a video camera in its den, leaving only an audio feed to pick up the newborn’s distinctive cries in December.

Zookeepers say it could even be multiple birth, but will not be able to enter the pen for the next few weeks because newborns have a poor immune system and can easily pick up infections.

Una Richardson, the park’s head carnivores keeper, said: “We can’t be sure if Victoria has had more than one cub but we can confirm the birth.

“While we are absolutely thrilled, we are not celebrating prematurely as polar bear cubs have a high mortality rate in the first weeks of life.”

Victoria and its mate Arktos were usually allowed just one month together each year but in 2017 they were kept together for three months when Victoria was found to be still fertile.