Bear-faced

The so-called Beast from the East left at least one positive legacy in its wake. It has encouraged the debut appearance of the first polar bear cub born in Britain for 25 years. Such events are very rare and the cuteness factor very high. The public’s fascination with the offspring of the world’s largest land carnivore has always been strong, beginning with the birth of Brumas at London Zoo in 1949. Perhaps the best known was Pipaluk, born in 1979 and the subject of books, songs, poems and toys. Pipaluk is an Inuit word meaning little one, but the cub grew into a 900lb male adult. The new arrival at the Highland Wildlife Park, in the Cairngorms National Park, has yet to be named because its gender is not known. Good luck finding out while its mother, Victoria, is keeping a proud watch over her progeny.