Our Christmas miracle!
There’s an early present for the Chester Zoo staff when sun bear Milli gives birth…
There are fewer than 1,000 Malayan sun bears left in the wild and so far there has never been a successful sun bear baby birth in the UK, despite an extensive breeding programme.
At Chester Zoo, however, there’s exciting news when sun bear Milli goes into labour and gives birth to a cub called Kyra!
Special delivery
‘It was emotional, I had a real lump in my throat,’ says keeper Lucy. ‘It’s hard to put into words. For the breeding programme as a whole it’s amazing.’
But Milli has already lost one baby before, so keepers can’t get their hopes up for Kyra, especially as she’s so vulnerable.
When sun bear cubs are born they’ve got no hair, their eyes and ears are closed and they must suckle straight away to survive. But after 24 hours, Kyra still hadn’t fed.
‘There’s only a couple of days the cub can go without feeding,’ says Lucy. ‘If it doesn’t get food it will lose weight and die.’
As the keepers face an anxious wait, there’s worrying news when goldenheaded lion tamarin Pru is diagnosed with a terminal liver condition.
Luckily, over in the sun bear enclosure, Kyra is growing fast and keepers get a first proper look at their rare new addition.
‘We’re so proud of her. It’s the best Christmas present we could have asked for.’