Two boys

It is a lean year for polar bear cubs, only two born and surviving in zoos worldwide. Welcome to one little boy in Novosibirsk Russia, and to another little boy in Akita Japan. 

Momo's cub - photo from Oga Aquarium, Akita Japan

Momo and Gota became parents on December 4 in Oga Aquarium in Japan, to twins. One passed away in the first days, but the second twin was a strong little boy and survived.  Just announced, his name is Momota, a combination of his parents' names. 

Gerda's boy - photo by Novosibirsk News

Gerda and Kai's cub, born on December 7 in the Novosibirsk Zoo in Siberia,  remained a secret for many months, although many suspected because there was "police tape" around Gerda's enclosure to keep things calm and quiet. The cub is another boy. His name has been announced as "Umka."

Fewer cubs worldwide in zoos this year

No cubs were born in the USA this year, and also none in European zoos.  Last year, eight zoo cubs were born worldwide, including three in Japan, and one in Europe. None in the USA for the past three seasons, not since Crystal had her twins Kallik and Kallu in Toledo in 2022.

The chart below was posted in the Gelsenkirchen Zoo in Germany ten years ago, to show just how many cubs are usually born, and how many survive. The white blocks are those surviving, and the black blocks are those who are born but did not live. In general, in zoos and in the wild, the survival rate of cubs is about 50 percent, for they are born so unfinished, something that seems to be necessary for life in the Arctic. Only the most robust survive.

The zoo population of polar bears is coordinated and regulated carefully, to ensure that cubs born will have a zoo to go to when they grow up.

For the past few years, the European coordinators have moved many bears to just boys or just girls groups, so that we won't have more cubs than we can handle. Only a few breeding couples are approved.

Last year, there were eight cubs born in zoos worldwide.

Only one cub was born and survived in Europe, that of Nuka and Kap in Karlsruhe. It was twins, but only one lived and that would be Mika, a boy. And none in Europe this year.

Last year, in addition to Mika born in Karlsruhe, there was one girl cub (Nur) born in Sao Paulo Brazil, twin boys (Jorek and Ootek) born in Sosto Hungary, a girl cub named Parma born in Perm Russia, and three born in Japan. The Japanese cubs last year are a boy Rai, and Paula's twins Sora and Umi, a boy and a girl.   

While Europe is carefully controlling its population, the USA zoos are in a drought for cubs. For various reasons, the few fertile females we have are not giving birth. Belgium born Crystal in Toledo, who has produced so many of our current younger generation, is now too old to be expected to make any more babies. Two of her daughters, Suka in Detroit and Aurora in Columbus, have had cubs and very likely will again.

 

Gerda's cub - photo by Novosibirsk News

Momo and Gota's cub - Photo by Hasumi Nobuo

Momota in Japan - his family tree

Momo and Gota's club was born in Oga Aquarium in northern Japan on December 4. 

Mother Momo (Peach) was born in Osaka in 2014 to beloved bears Baffin and Gogo, both of whom have just passed away in recent months.  

Some American bears are cousins of Baffin, having descended from Baffin's sister Chinook. Baffin was born in Sweden in 1991 to American born mother CW, and father Imarec. CW, born in Memphis, was daughter of Bruno, who was also father of Chinook of Hogle Zoo. Chinook was mother of Rochester Aurora, Denali of Japan, Berlin's mate Bubba, Buffalo/ Cincinnati/Detroit Anana, and twins Kiska and Koluk of ABQ Biopark. The next generation includes Luna, Lee, NC Anana, Haley and Anoki.

Many European bears are also related to Momota, bears descended from CW, including CW's granddaughter Freedom and all her cubs, CW's daughter Ilka of Skandinavisk Dyrepark and her cubs, and CW's son Manasse of Finland, father of Ranzo of Vienna and Sisu of YWP.

Gogo was a most beloved bear, famed for his silly antics and big personality. It was especially tragic that he died under anesthetic for transport, so he could breed yet again.  Gogo was born in Perm in 2004, to Anderma and Yukon. His brother Permjak was the father of Pim, who is the father of Nur in Sao Paolo last year, and also Milka, the mother of Parma in Perm Zoo last year. 

In addition to Momo, Gogo was also the father of two children in Japan with Shilka: daughter Hochan in 2020 and son Rai last year. 

Momoto's grandparents Gogo died February 8, 2026 and Baffin died on March 20, 2026. 

Baby Momota's father Gota was born in 2003 in Moscow to Murma and Untai. In 2020 he became father of Fubuki with the mother being Yuki. 

Gota is brother of the famous Raspi, who is now in Hamburg. Raspi is the father of the late Hope, and also Flocke's triplets Indie, Yuma and Tala, now in UK wildlife parks. Gota's brother Kap, father of Anouk of Hamburg and Mika of Karlsruhe, recently died. Gota is also brother of Boris (Ivan) of Copenhagen and Skandinavisk Dyrepark, where he is the father of Nuna's twins.  

Gerda and her cub - photo by Sergie Iltyakov

Gerda's cub Umka - family tree

Gerda and Kai's cub Umka, born in Novosibirsk Zoo, is their seventh cub, after Shilka (in Japan), Rostik (somewhere in China), twins Shauna and Nordi,  and twins Belka and Strelka. Shauna has moved to Izhversk Zoo in Russia. Belka, Strelka and Nordi are still in Novosibirsk.

Gerda was born in Moscow in 2007 to Simona and Wrangel. 

She is the granddaughter of the famous Uslada and Menshikov, who produced 16 cubs altogether. Uslada's daughter Simona, who is still alive, produced 13 cubs. With so many polar bears related to Gerda and Kai, their genes are well represented both in Russia and in Europe, and while we are happy about a new cub, his bloodline does not add much to the gene pool. It is a shame that we cannot bring some of these polar bears to US zoos, where we could use such genes.   

Father Kai (Krassin) was born in St. Petersburg in 2007 to Uslada and Menshikov. So Kai is Gerda's uncle.

Gerda and her cub - photo by Arkady  Laptenko

Thank you to the photographers whose photos I have borrowed for this story.  I wish I could be there myself. 

Happy Mother's Day to Crystal, Gerda and Victoria

 Of course all polar bear mothers deserve appreciation, especially on Mother's Day. But this story will focus on the new moms who gave birth last November and December, even though we didn't hear about Victoria's secret surprise until just a few weeks ago. 

Kallu and Kallik  - photo by the Toledo Zoo.

Crystal

In December news came of  the birth of twins in the Toledo Zoo, to veteran mother Crystal and her companion Nuka. The cubs were born on November 11, but kept secret for a few weeks, announced on December 1. For a time, it seemed like those might be the only cubs born worldwide in a zoo this year.  And there was a public dencam so we could watch the babies grow. Interestingly enough, one of the cubs was much larger than the other.

We later learned that the twins are boys, given the names Kallik and Kallu (Thunder and Lightning). Little Kallik has recently caught up and now is almost as big as his brother. It has been observed that the little one has grown into the bolder and braver brother, the first to take to the pool inside, and willing to wander away from mother for longer periods. Kallu, the bigger brother, was quite hesitant to step into the kiddie pool, and his little brother kept trying to persuade him, maybe even giving him a little push sometimes. Now, both brothers seem comfortable in the water.

The Toledo Twins were make their public debut on Friday, April 28, and everyone was so excited. However, when the big day came, the boys were intimidated by the bigger space outside, and wanted to play with their toys in the familiar areas of the dig yard and inside pool room. The interior dencam was turned back on, so the fans could see that the cubs were fine. Their public debut was rescheduled for the following Friday, May 5, and this time the cubs were ready and raring to go.

Crystal and her cubs - Photo by the Toledo Zoo.

Crystal is already the mother of twins Aurora and the late Anana, son Siku, twins Suka and Sakari, daughter Hope and son Borealis, all with the late Marty as the father. Crystal is also the grandmother of seven cubs.

Crystal with her cubs in the den, dencam photo

The father of Kallik and Kallu is Nuka, who is also the father of 2 year old twin girls in Detroit, with the mother being Crystal's grown daughter Suka. Papa Nuka is now back in Detroit.

Nuka (my photo)

For several months, we all thought that Crystal's twins might be the only cubs born in a zoo worldwide. But there were two other mothers who were denned up with little ones after having secretly given birth in December. 

Gerda and her daughters. (photo by оксана калинина)

Gerda

In early February, we learned that Gerda in Novosibirsk in Siberia, Russia had given birth to twins on December 16. These cubs made their public debut in the middle of March, with much snow still on the ground. We have learned that these twins are girls, but no names have been announced yet. There is a naming contest. The father is Kraisin,  better known to his friends as Kai.

Gerda is an experienced mother, having raised Shilka (who now lives in Japan), Rostik (who was sent to China), and twins Shauna and Nordi, a girl and a boy, who are now about four years old and living somewhere behind the scenes in the Novosibirsk Zoo. Gerda is a grandmother, since Shilka has a two year old daughter Ho-chan.

Gerda was born in Moscow in 2007 to Simona and Wrangel. She is sister to Vera, mother of the famous Flocke, Gerda's grandmother was Uslada of St. Petersburg, who was the mother of 16 cubs so there are many cousins throughout Europe and Russia.

Victoria's cub - Photo by Hagenbeck Zoo

Victoria

Because the European polar bear breeding program has been a little too successful, and there is a shortage of suitable zoo homes, there has been a halt to breeding, with many of the bears moved to all girl or all boy groups. So we expected there would be no cubs in Europe this season.

But at the very end of April, we had a surprise. Victoria and Kap of Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg Germany produced a mysterious secret cub born December 19. This cub still has no name, we don't know if it is a boy or girl yet, and the cub is still not in the public eye.

Victoria in 2014 (with Blizzard)

At 20 years of age, Victoria is an older lady who had never given birth up until now, so of course everyone thought that a cub was out of the question. Older lady bears can become mothers, of course, but almost always they have had cubs before. Victoria had been for many years with Blizzard, who was later found to be sterile. Then Kap arrived in the spring of 2020, but still no cubs, until now. This is a first cub for Kap too, who has spent much of his life alone in Neumünster, then a short time in Karlsruhe, where I finally met him. Kap is half brother of Raspi, and several other bears. 

Kap when I visited him in Karlsruhe in 2017

Victoria's genes are especially valuable since she isn't related to other bears. Her mother Fanny gave birth to Victoria in Hagenbeck, and Victoria lived there most of her life except for a short stay in Zoo am Meer in Bremerhaven, while the zoo was building the new walrus-polar bear-penguin complex.

Fanny did have another cub, Victoria's older brother named Charly, who lived out his life in SeaWorld San Diego, and died in 2012. 

Victoria is the product of several generations of inbreeding, as zoos were not so careful in those days. One again, it is a miracle that she had this cub.

European polar bear cubs usually start appearing in public in mid-March. So why is the Hagenbeck cub still behind the scenes? My theory is that the enclosure, while fairly new, was not designed with young cubs in mind, being rocky and sort of steep. There is limited space for visitors who want to see the bears. The complex, made for polar bears, penguins and walruses, gave much more emphasis to the walruses, and most polar bear fans are disappointed in the new enclosure.

Mother Victoria and the keepers may be waiting for the cub to mature a bit more before letting it wander around the rocky habitat. There seems to be a pool accessible to the cub at the top, for there is a video with the cub swimming in the background, and I believe there is a flat area up there, but it is out of sight from visitors. The cub is about five months old, so hopefully he or she will make a public debut before too long, and we will learn a bit more.

The Hagenbeck polar bear enclosure. - my photo

Happy Mother's Day to all the polar bear mothers. I hope to visit Crystal and her little family one day very soon, and maybe make a trip to Hamburg to see Victoria and her offspring too.