Here is who had polar bear cubs this year!

The little girls in Rostock - photo courtesy of Zoo Rostock 

Happy International Polar Bear Day on February 27!

We have had news of eight cubs born in zoos in November and December. The cubs will make their public debuts sometime in the spring, but for now, they are still denned up with their mothers. We know the Rostock cubs are girls, and the twins in Skandinavisk Dyrepark are girls as well. Victoria's baby is a boy. No news on the others just yet.

Rostock, Germany

 In Rostock, Germany, there is currently a naming contest for the twin girls born to Sizzel and Akiak on November 14. Both are first time parents.

Sizzel in Rostock

Sizzel and her twin brother Todz were born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 2014 to Olinka and Eric. Olinka's father Omaha was born to Olaf and Olga in the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha Nebraska, so Sizzel is closely related to a number of US bears. 

Akiak in Rostock

Akiak and his twin sister Sura were born in Ouwehands in the Netherlands in 2015, to Freedom and the late Victor (one of the "V" cubs from Rostock). Freedom's grandmother CW was born in Memphis, so these cubs are cousins of some US polar bears through Akiak as well.  

Orsa in Sweden

First time mother Hope gave birth to twins, fathered by Wilbär, in Orsa Predator Park in Sweden on November 20. This news came about the same time that the park announced it will be closing in October. 

Hope is the daughter of Flocke and Raspi, and was born in 2014 in Marineland in Antibes France.

Hope in 2017 in France

Wilbär was born in 2007 in the Wilhelma in Stuttgart, Germany, the son of the late Corinna and Anton. Wilbär is the father of Miki, born last year to mother Ewa at the park.

Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Denmark

First time parents Nuno and Boris/Ivan had twin daughters in Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Kolind Denmark on December 12.

Nuno on right, playing with older brother Siku.

Nuno and her twin brother Nanu were born in Kolind in 2012 to the late Ilka and the late Nanook. These new cubs have cousins in the US, for Nuno's grandmother CW was born in the Memphis Zoo, and her grandmother Blanche is sister to Crystal of Toledo Ohio.

Boris / Ivan in Copenhagen

Boris/Ivan was born in 2005 in the Moscow Zoo to the late Murma and the late Untai, so he is brother to Raspi, Gota, and Kap, among others.  He is officially named Boris, but was given the name Ivan by the Danish zoos.

Asahikawa Japan 

Pirika and Hokuto (Ludvik) in Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa Japan had triplets on December 13, but as is so often the case, only one survived, but it is doing well. 

Pirika was born in 2005, the daughter of Lara and Denali. Pirika is first cousin of five US bears, as her father Denali was born in Salt Lake City and is the brother of the late Anana (mother of Luna) and the late Aurora (mother of Lee, Anana, Haley and Anoki).

Hokuto was born in Moscow in 2000, son of Amderma and Yukon, brother of Gogo. He has lived in Japan most of his life. 

HWP in Scotland 

Victoria and Arktos in Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland have had another cub. The birth was announced on December 16, but had taken place a few days before. They are parents of Wee Hamish, born in 2017 and now living in Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Victoria is also the mother of Milak, born in Aalborg Denmark in 2008 and now living in St. Felicien in Canada.

Victoria in Aalborg

Victoria was born in 1996 in Rostock, Germany, one of the "V" cubs born to Churchill and Vienna. She lived in Aalborg, Denmark, for many years before coming to Scotland in 2015.

Victoria with Wee Hamish in 2018 in Scotland

Arktos was born in 2007 in Vienna to Olinka and Eric. He lived in Hannover Germany for several years, then came to Highland Wildlife Park in 2012, where he lives most of the year with his best friend Walker.  Arktos' grandfather Omaha was born in the Henry Doorly Zoo to Olaf and Olga, so this cub has cousins in the US. 

Arktos (his friend Walker in background) in HWP

As we all know, polar bear cubs have a 50 percent chance of survival, for they are born so very fragile. So there were some losses, in addition to two of the triplets in Japan who did not make it. Raspi and Friida in Tallinn Estonia had cubs that did not survive. Lara and Bill in Gelsenkirchen Germany lost their twins too. 

No cubs were born in the US, unless Crystal in Toledo surprises us. Reports are that she is still denned up.

No cubs were born in Russia this year, but there have been some rescued cubs recently.

There is seldom any news about polar bears out of China.

Bear Conservation lists 310 polar bears in captivity, which includes at least some of the eight cubs in this story. 

Happy Father's Day to Victor

Victor

Happy Father's Day to Victor.

Victor was born in 1998 in Zoo Rostock to Churchill and Vienna. His brother Vitus has been proven sterile. His sisters Vilma, Valeska, Venus and Victoria have produced cubs, but Victor has outdone them all, with 13 offspring. He is now retired comfortably at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the UK, where he lives with his grandson Pixel, and three other male polar bears: Nissan, Nobby and Raspi.

His first son Rocky was born in Ouwehands Zoo in the Netherlands  in 2002, when Victor was just four years old. The mother was a wildborn bear named Vera. Rocky now lives in Belgium. He is the father of a daughter named Qannik.

Huggies

Henk

In 2005, triplets were born in Ouwehands to Huggies. Henk is now in Nuenen, and has fathered three sets of twins there. Ewa lives in Sweden in Orsa Bear Park, but has no cubs. Jelle lives in St. Felicien in Canada, where he fathered two cubs, Shouka and Kinuk, with two different mothers, Milak and Aisaqvak, in 2018. 

Sprinter

Victor's son Sprinter, who looks a lot like his grandfather Churchill, was  born to Huggies' daughter Freedom in Ouwehands in 2007. Sprinter is a new father in the zoo in Hannover. Milana gave birth to a daughter, Nana.

Walker, on the right, with his friend Arktos at Highlands Wildlife Park

In 2008, It was Huggies' turn again to have Victor's cubs. She gave birth to Walker and Swimmer, named for diapers. The cubs' birth was filmed and used in a famous TV documentary. Swimmer was much smaller than Walker, but seemed fine. However, only a week after their public debut, in Mid-March, Swimmer had a medical emergency. Something had burst, and he died in the pool. This condition may be why he had been so small, about a third the size of Walker. Huggies and Walker grieved for a long time. 

Sesi with daughter Nanuq

Another set of Victor's twins, Sesi and Siku (now Taiko), were born in 2010 to mother Freedom, Huggies' daughter. Sesi now lives in Mulhouse France, where she had a daughter Nanuq in 2017. Taiko also lives in France.

Lynn with Imaq in Copenhagen

Luka in Wuppertal

Victor's twins Lynn and Luka were born in 2011 in Ouwehands to Mother Huggies again. Lynn now lives in Copenhagen and had a daughter Imaq last year. Luka lives with Anori in Wuppertal.

Akiak and Sura as cubs

Freedom with cubs Sura and Akiak

Victor's last cubs, Akiak and Sura, were born to Freedom in 2014. Akiak now lives in Rostock's newly rebuilt polar bear habitat. Sura still lives in Ouwehands.

Victor's grandson Pixel lives with his grandpa at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which has just reopened

Victor is king at Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Happy Father's Day to a great dad and grandpa.

Ouwehands Twins get their names

Ouwehands Twins bekommen ihre Namen

Here they are, Akiak and Sura.

It is official. Everyone suspected that Freedom's twins at Ouwehands Dierenpark in Rhenen in the Netherlands were a girl and a boy, but now it is officially announced and they have names, as of July 27.

Es ist offiziell. Die Vermutung,dass die Zwillinge von Freedom ausOuwehands in Rhenen in den Niederlanden ein Mädchen und ein Junge sind, ist nun es offiziell bekannt gegeben, und sie haben Namen bekommen am 27. Juli.

Sura and Akiak

Sura and Akiak discuss what to do with their grandmother Huggies,
 who is napping nearby

Akiak and Sura

The boy is Akiak, which means “dapper.”

The girl is Sura, which means “new life.”

Der Junge ist Akiak, das bedeutet "dapper" – oder schmucker kleiner Bursche.
Das Mädchen ist Sura, was bedeutet, "neues Leben."

Mother Freedom plays with a carton, as the kids watch.

An invitation to play

Mother Freedom and her cubs, watching out for Huggies

The cubs mother, Freedom, was born in 2001, the first cub of Huggies, who went on to have seven more cubs.

Die Mutter ist Freedom, sie wurde im Jahr 2001 geboren, sie war das erste Jungtier von Huggies, die später noch sieben weitere Jungtiere haben würde.

Grandmother Huggies, who is now age 21

Huggies was a young cub, found floating on an ice floe off Wrangel Island, back in February of 1994. She was rescued, and her major sponsor was the maker of Huggies diapers, and thus she got her name.

Huggies war ein junger Eisbär, treibend gefunden auf einer Eisscholle nahe der Wrangel-Insel, im Februar 1994. Sie wurde gerettet, und ihr Hauptsponsor war der Hersteller von Huggies Windeln, und somit erhielt sie ihren Namen.

Freedom gives a kiss to Akiak

Stay close to mom

These cubs have roots in America. Freedom's father is Nordman (Nuuk), whose mother CW was born in Memphis, USA. (Nordman's sister is Ilka, mother of Siku and her twins, at Skandanavisk Dyrepark when Nordman lives as well.)

Diese Jungen haben ihre Wurzeln in Amerika. Freedoms Vater ist Nuuk, dessen Mutter CW wurde in Memphis, USA, geboren. Nuuks Schwester ist Ilka, die Mutter von Siku und ihren Zwillingen, im Skandanavisk Dyrepark, wo auch Nuuk lebt.)

The twins

 The father of Akiak and Sura is Victor, who has recently moved to Great Britain for his retirement years. Victor is also the father of the rest of Huggies' cubs. Victor was born in 1998 to Churchill and Vienna in Rostock, and I think little Akiak is going to look just like his grandfather Churchill.

Der Vater von Akiak und Sura ist Victor, der vor kurzem nach Großbritannien umzog, dort seinen Ruhestand zu erleben. Victor ist auch der Vater der restlichen von Huggies "Jungen". Victor wurde 1998 von Churchill und Vienna in Rostock geboren, und ich denke, dass Akiak wird sicher später genau wie sein Großvater Churchill aussehen.

The cubs are playing furiously

I visited Ouwehands on May 3, and witnessed a confrontation between the generations.

Ich besuchte Ouwehands am 3. Mai und wurde Zeuge einer Auseinandersetzung zwischen den Generationen.

Huggies scares one of the cubs, who runs for safety

Huggies, on the right, growls menacingly at Freedom and her frightened cubs. There were similar confrontations on May 1 and 2.

When Freedom had twins in 2010, and Huggies had her twins in 2011, the mother and daughter and the cubs all shared the enclosure, with Huggies in charge of her cubs Luka and Lynn, and Freedom in charge of her older cubs, Sesi and Siku (now Taiko), They shared, and everything was peaceful. So Freedom and Huggies were used to being together.

Als Freedom hatte Zwillinge im Jahr 2010, und Huggies hatten ihre Zwillinge im Jahr 2011, die Mutter und der Tochter und die Jungen alle teilten das Gehäuse mit Huggies verantwortlich für ihre Jungen Luka und Lynn und Freedom war verantwortlich für ihre ältere Jungtiere, Sesi und Siku (jetzt Taiko), sie teilten sich die Anlage, und alles war friedlich. So Freedom und Huggies waren das Zusammensein und Miteinander gewöhnt.

There is a stand-off

This time, in early May, after months of separation, Huggies was allowed to be in the big enclosure with daughter Freedom and her cubs on a trial basis. It did not go as planned.

Dieses Mal, Anfang Mai, nach Monaten der Trennung, durfte Huggies im großen Gehege mit Tochter Freedom und ihren Jungen auf Probe zusammen sein. Es lief aber nicht wie geplant.

Mama will protect her babies

For most of the morning, Huggies napped alone. When she woke up, one of the cubs got too close to grandma, and there was a confrontation between mother and daughter as the cubs ran for safety.

Wie meisten am Morgen, schlief Huggies für sich allein. Als sie aufwachte, kam einer der Jungen zu nahe an die Großmutter heran, und es gab eine Auseinandersetzung zwischen Mutter und Tochter, und die Jungtiere liefen fort für ihre Sicherheit.

Freedom growls at her mother.

Freedom growled, with her frightened cubs hiding behind her. Huggies took her time, walking past her daughter and the cubs, and strolling around the pond, then taking a leisurely swim. 

Freedom brummte mit ihren verängstigten Jungen hinter ihr versteckt. Huggies nahm sich Zeit, ging vorbei an ihrer Tochter und den Jungen, und marschierte rund um den Teich, um dann ein gemütliche Runde zu schwimmen.

Huggies wanders around, asserting her authority, as Freedom
and her cubs keep away from the bossy grandmother

Akiak and Sura hide behind their mother

Freedom and her cubs watched warily, keeping their distance. Huggies finally went back to napping, after asserting her authority.

Freedom und ihre Jungen beobachteten alles sehr argwöhnisch, hielten ihre Distanze. Huggies ging schließlich zurück um ein Nickerchen zu machen, nachdem sie ihre Autorität behauptet hatte.

Huggies returns to her napping spot,
 after letting the younger generation know that she is the boss

Freedom is wary, after the confrontation. After several days of confrontations, Huggies was no longer put into the enclosure with her daughter and the cubs.

Three Bears on alert, being careful to stay away from Grandmother Huggies

Ouwehands has a fantastic new enclosure, with a big pond, and a large viewing window. You can walk around to see the bears from many angles.

Ouwehands hat eine fantastische neue Anlage, mit einem großen Teich, und einem großen Sichtfenster. Die Besuchen können beim Herumgehen die Bären aus vielen Blickwinkeln sehen.

Freedom and the cubs keep their distance from Grandma Huggies,
as she takes a swim

The new enclosure has several beautiful viewing windows

Freedom's family swims together, to the delight of the visitors

It was an exciting time to be there, to see the conflict between the generations.. I have been watching the family on Explore, and it was amazing to see the enclosure in reality. The cubs have many toys and things to climb on and under. They really enjoy playing at the edge of the water.

Es war eine aufregende Zeit, dort zu sein, um den Konflikt zwischen den Generationen zu sehen .. Ich habe die Familie mit der Webcam auf Explore beobachtet und es war erstaunlich, das Gehege in der Realität zu sehen. Die Jungen haben viele Spielsachen und Dinge zum auf und unter klettern. Sie genießen es am Rand des Wasserbeckens zu spielen.

Sura sticks her tongue out at her brother

 There are also two older enclosures, where Huggies might be found on most days.

Es gibt auch zwei ältere Anlagen, in denen Huggies vielleicht an einigen Tagen zu finden sein wird.

One of the two older enclosures. 
The cubs and Freedom play here on Mondays,
 and Huggies is here the rest of the week

The zoo has decided that, in order to keep the stress levels down, Huggies will be in the large habitat by herself on Mondays, and in one of the older habitats the rest of the week. Freedom and her cubs will not have to constantly be on watch for the crabby grandmother.

Der Zoo hat entschieden, dass, um die Stressbelastung niedrig zu halten, wird Huggies immer am Montag in der größeren Anlage zu finden sein, und in einer der älterenGehege den Rest der Woche. Freedom und ihre Jungen müssen somit nicht ständig auf der Hut sein vor der mürrischen Großmutter.

Freedom swims, and the cubs play on shore

You can watch Freedom, Akiak and Sura on the webcam at this address:

Sie können Freedom, Akiak und Sura auf der Webcam an dieser Adresse sehen:

Ouwehands polar bears at Explore

  

Freedom

Where are you going, Mom?

 Thanks to Marga Andresen Gransow for the German translation.