Is twin cubs Victoria’s secret?

● Keepers waiting for first glimpse of new arrival

Victoria, a polar bear at the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, has given birth to a cub, the first to be born in the UK for 25 years. Staff have yet to see the cub and say it is possible the mother gave birth to twins.

He or she will not make their public debut for a few months, but the “high-pitched squalling” coming from the polar bear den at a Highland wildlife park is attracting worldwide attention.

The excitment was caused by the announcement that Scotland’s very own polar bear cub was born just before Christmas at the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, near Aviemore.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) said staff have not yet seen the cub and say there is the possibility that more than one cub has been born.

The unnamed cub – no bigger than a guinea pig – is the first polar bear to be born in the UK in 25 years.

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

Scotland’s last polar bear cub was born in 1991 to Mercedes at Edinburgh Zoo.

The Kincraig mother, Victoria, is one of three adult polar bears at the wildlife park.

The RZSS said “high-pitched noises” made by the cub could be heard from Victoria’s maternity den on 18 December.

Una Richardson, the park’s head keeper responsible for carnivores, said: “We first heard promising noises in the week before Christmas and these have now continued into the New Year. Because we don’t have sight inside her cubbing box we can’t be sure if Victoria has had more than one cub, but we can confirm the birth.”

Victoria was brought to the park, which has two male bears, last year.

Ms Richardson added: “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 due to their undeveloped immune system and the mother’s exaggerated need for privacy, with any disturbance risking the cub being killed or aban- doned.

“We will continue to monitor Victoria and very much hope for the best possible news when she emerges around March. Until then, Victoria’s enclosure will be closed to the public and keeper activity will be at a minimum to give her offspring every chance of survival.”

Arktos, the male Victoria mated with, is one of the park’s other bears. He was brought from Hanover Zoo in Germany and is in a separate enclosure. However, the birth brought criticism from Will Travers, president of Born Free, an animal charity.

He said: “Described by the zoo as an ‘outstanding achievement’, Born Free, consistent with a position it has held since the late 1980s, sees this as more of a tragedy in the making.

“Research commissioned by Born Free in 1987, and subsequent evaluations of polar bears in captivity, indicate the species is profoundly ill-suited to the zoo environment with widespread display of stereotypic abnormal behaviours, infanticide and high rates of cub mortality.”

But Douglas Richardson, head of living collections at the wildlife park, said: “Born Free refers back to a report in 1987. Thirty years ago I would have agreed with them. But things are far removed from the concrete polar bear pits of old.

“I would love Born Free to come up and see this place for themselves.”

COMMENT “We first heard promising noises in the week before Christmas and these have now continued into the New Year.” UNA RICHARDSON, HEAD KEEPER, CARNIVORES