Springtime cub tour of Europe

I saw six of the seven cubs on my springtime tour of polar bear cubs in Europe. Here is a little look at the families I met.

Hope, daughter of Flocke and Rasputin, at Marineland, Antibes, France

Hope

Tiny Hope is the new princess at Marineland in Antibes, France. She is the daughter of Flocke and Raspi, and was born November 26, 2014.

She is a tiny little ball of energy, always playing and swimming and running. She is a lot like her father Raspi.

Hope and her mirror toy

Hope in the ice cave

Hope finds a funny stick

Flocke and her daughter Hope

Freedom's twins

The lively cubs live in Ouwehands Dierenpark in Rhenen, Netherlands. Their father Victor now lives in England. Grandmother Huggies has recently joined her daughter Freedom and her grandchildren in the big enclosure. I am pretty sure the twins are a boy and a girl. They have no names yet. They were born November 22, 2014. You can watch them on Explore.com webcam, daily.

Explore webcam

Freedom and her cubs at Ouwehands Dyrepark in the Netherlands

Freedom plays and the cubs watch. My guess is a boy (left) and a girl (center)

Freedom and her cubs

Freedom and her cubs

Olinka's twins

In Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp) you will find Olinka and her two children, born December 2, 2014. Their father Eric died in February, much too young. The twins make good use of the tremendous diving pool at the zoo. I think we have a boy and a girl here too, but it is only my guess. The have no names yet.

Cubs in Rotterdam Zoo

Olinka nurses her cubs

Little boy and little girl in Rotterdam?

Rotterdam Zoo has a tremendous diving pool

Mama Olinka gets some love

Mama Olinka and the cubs

Olinka and one of her twins

Charlotte

Vera and Felix have a lovely daughter named Charlotte, in the Nuremburg Tiergarten. Father Felix has moved to Wilhelma in Stuttgart, so Charlotte and Mother Vera have the use of both large enclosures. Charlotte is quite round, and loves to eat. She is the sister of the famous Flocke, and also Gregor and Aleut. She was born November 21, 2014.

Charlotte of Nuremburg Tiergarten

Charlotte and her mother Vera

Like mother, like daughter. Charlotte and Vera

Charlotte and her crazy egg

Charlotte gets some lunch

I will have separate reports on these cubs as time goes on. This is just a sneak peak.

Unfortunately, because of the DB rail strike while I was in Germany, I was unable to go to Rostock to see Fiete, who was born December 3, 2014. I will see him and his mother Vilma on my next visit.