Polar Bear at German Zoo Surprisingly Delivers Baby Cub — and the Whole Thing Was Caught on Camera
Tierpark Berlin just got one adorable new attraction!
On Thursday, a polar bear named Tonja at the German animal park gave birth to a baby cub — and her labor and first few moments with the new addition were caught on camera and released on Tierpark Berlin’s YouTube page.
The still-unnamed baby polar bear — who is only about 30 centimeters long and, like all polar bears, came into the world deaf and blind — has since been seen nuzzling up to his mother.
The special occasion had extra significance for the 8-year-old mama bear, who lost a cub named Fritz just nine months earlier (The 3-month-old cub, who had been celebrated in Germany as an heir to beloved polar bear Knut, died of complications from a liver inflammation, Reuters reported at the time).
“Naturally, we are delighted. But, just like last year, we now have to keep our fingers crossed,” zoo manager Dr. Andreas Knieriem said in a statement on Tierpark Berlin’s website. “The mortality rate for young polar bears is around 50 percent, and it is particularly high in the first 10 days.”
Knieriem also said that Tonja had given birth to a second cub on Thursday, though the animal was stillborn.
Tonja and her new baby are currently out of sight for the zoo guests, Tierpark Berlin said. The cub’s father, 6-year-old Wolodja, remains on zoo grounds.
