The pitter patter of tiny polar bear paws
THEY are constantly under threat in the wild as climate change puts their Arctic sea ice habitat at risk.
Now polar bears are set to be born in Scotland for the first time in 25 years.
The country’s only female is showing signs of pregnancy – and bosses at a Highland wildlife park are optimistic they will soon hear the pitter-patter of tiny paws.
Last spring, during her most fertile period, Victoria shared an enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig, Inverness-shire, with one of the park’s male polar bears, Arktos.
While pregnancy tests for polar bears do not exist, Victoria is eating huge amounts of fish and vegetables and is piling on the pounds. In response, her keepers have removed her from public display and built a birthing den. They believe her cubs – polar bears usually give birth to twins – could be born in December or January.
The last cub born in Scotland was in 1991, when Mercedes gave birth to female Ohoto at Edinburgh Zoo.
The birth of cubs would represent a great step forward for the species and would be in contrast to the lack of success Scotland’s pandas have had in breeding, despite the efforts of zookeepers in Edinburgh.
The Highland Wildlife Park is run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), whose spokesman said: ‘They mated and we think she may have conceived. Victoria is showing all the right signs to be pregnant. She has put on a fair amount of weight – she is quite hefty now.
‘Hopefully next month Victoria will enter her den and give birth sometime between December and the beginning of January.’
He added: ‘We are treating her as if she may be [pregnant], which means ensuring she has as much privacy as possible.’
Victoria’s apparent success is in contrast to Scotland’s pandas. Tian Tian, or Sweetie, and her consort Yang Guang, or Sunshine, arrived at Edinburgh Zoo five years ago but have failed to produce a cub.