Hagenbeck Zoo
Hamburg welcomes its polar bear baby: It’s a girl
A steady look into the camera: The polar bear baby will probably be a crowd puller at Hagenbeck Zoo this year. However, it is not yet visible to the public.
© Tierpark Hagenbeck / press photo
At Hagenbeck Zoo, the baby polar bear has grown a lot since it was born in December. The zoo has now published new photos – and also found out the gender.
The little one is 21 weeks old and has been a sensation for Hagenbeck Zoo since birth: when the baby polar bear was born on December 19, 2022, it was the first offspring of this species for the world-famous zoo in over 20 years. However, until now, the animal keepers had no idea whether the animal was male or female.
This Thursday, the young animal had to get an important vaccination – and the employees at Hagenbeck took this opportunity to determine the sex of the little bear: It is a girl, as the Hanseatic city zoo announced. The daughter of polar bear mother Victoria does not yet have a name.
The zoo has also now released new photos of the little bear, which has been warmly welcomed by the local press. “Moin, you sweet brat,” says the Hamburg section of the “Bild” newspaper, for example.
Tierpark Hagenbeck: “The little one is incredibly mobile”
The little polar bear is apparently not only cute and should soon become a crowd puller, she is also very curious: “The little one is incredibly mobile, active and discovers everything the animal keepers offer her,” says zoo veterinarian Michael Flügger in a press release from the zoo quoted. “Everything has to be carefully examined and gnawed, just like mom.”
The baby polar bear at Hagenbeck Zoo finds water very exciting
© Tierpark Hagenbeck / press photo
The young animal is not yet visible to the general public. Since her birth, the little one has spent most of her childhood with her mother in the birth cave. In particular, the first few days of newborn polar bears are considered critical for survival. At birth, the animals, which weigh a good 900 grams, are almost naked, blind and deaf.
But the young polar bear survived her first few weeks of life well. According to the zoo, mother Victoria takes exemplary care of her daughter. A monitor will soon be installed in the part of the enclosure that is shielded from the outside, through which visitors will be able to see the young animal. It is not yet certain when zoo visitors will be able to observe the little ones in the outer part of the facility.
The little polar bear is not only important for Hagenbeck because it will probably attract many visitors to the zoo. Hagenbeck is also part of the European Conservation Breeding Program, which aims to guarantee the continued existence of endangered animals in the wild. Polar bear mother Victoria was also born in Hagenbeck. That was in 2002.
Sources: Hagenbeck Zoo, press release, “Bild” newspaper“mopo“
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