There’s a special excitement in the air at the Arctic Encounter®! We’re watching with eager anticipation as eleven-year-old female polar bear Crystal cares for her adorable polar bear cub, born on December 3, 2009.
Polar bear cub nursing (one month old)
Crystal and father Marty are also the parents of Anana and Aurora, a set of twins that were born here in November 2006. The twins are currently residing at the Pittsburgh Zoo; Marty is on exhibit in the Arctic Encounter®.
Mother bears den up for the winter and raise their young in total seclusion. As such, we haven’t yet been able to examine the cub to determine the sex. Animal care staff has been watching Crystal and the cub via video monitors, and so far Crystal’s doing a great job. And because Crystal is a second-time mom, we have good reason to be optimistic that she’ll continue to do just as well with this cub.
Weighing in a just about a pound at birth, the cub is big news for the Zoo (and our visitors) and a huge step for polar bear conservation worldwide. As we lose more of their Arctic habitat to climate change, the future of polar bears in the wild grows less certain with each passing year. That’s why polar bears are now protected under the Endangered Species Act, and that’s why cubs like this one have such an important role to play. We hope that folks who stop by to see this little bear will take a moment to consider the plight of our bears’ wild counterparts and think about steps they can take to preserve this species for generations to come If all goes well, the cub will meet the public in the spring of 2010.
Be sure to check back here for more updates, more baby pictures, and video clips from the cub's den! RSS feeds will also be available soon!
Click on the image above to learn more about TheToledo Zoo's conservation efforts, including polar bear conservation, or click here to make a donation.
Click on the image above to learn more about polar bear conservation through Polar Bears International.
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