New polar bear cubs of 20/21

The Russian twins - photo by Gelendzhik Safari Park

Today, February 27, 2021, is International Polar Bear Day. It's a great time to take a look at the cubs born this past winter in zoos, since they most likely have all been announced by now. We are celebrating the arrival of nine little ones, including two sets of twins. Three of the new cubs are being raised by keepers.

Almost all the births are to first time mothers. Sesi has successfully raised one cub before, and Suka had given birth several times, but the cubs died within days. The other new moms,  Shilka, Yuki, Ewa and Kometa, now each have their first cub to raise. Seryozhka in Russia is letting the keepers do the mothering job for her twins. 

In Russia, there are three polar bear cubs, including the twins being raised by keepers. One of the fathers, Aion was born in the wilderness. The mother of the twins, Seryozhka, was also a wild orphan, so these are especially welcome fresh genes.

In Japan, two zoos each welcome a cub. This is the first time in a several years since Japan has had cubs, maybe since Lira was born in 2014. 

In Europe, we have one cub in Sweden and another in France.

The only cubs born in the U.S. this year are in Detroit, twins with one being raised by keepers.

Two of the new mothers are rather senior to be having a first cub. Ewa in Sweden has just turned 15 years old. And Yuki in Japan has just turned 21 years old.  

Detroit - November 17

It's twins for 8 year old Suka and 16 year old Nuka in the Arctic Ring of Life in the Detroit Zoo, born November 17, 2020.

Suka is taking good care of one cub, and the other, a girl, is being raised by keepers. When the cubs were a few days old, the keepers, who were watching by den-cam, noticed that one of the cubs was weaker and having trouble, so they separated the family, and swooped in to rescue the little girl. She is doing well, according to reports and photos. The gender of the other cub, still with Mother Suka, is not known. 

Suka and her twin brother Sakari are offspring of Marty and Belgium-born Crystal of the Toledo Zoo. Suka is from the dominant polar bear family in U.S. zoos.

Nuka and his twin brother Koda were born in the Denver Zoo. Their parents were Voda and Kavek. Nuka's genes are rare. He is one of only three male bears alive who have produced cubs in the U.S. zoos, the other two being Suka's father Marty, and Lee.

Suka had given birth the past two years, but the cubs did not live more than a few days. This time, both cubs are doing great. 

Here's Suka's daughter, who is being raised by keepers. Photo by Detroit Zoological Society

Mulhouse, France - November 22

A daughter was born November 22, 2020, to 10 year old Sesi and  10 year old Vicks in Mulhouse France. It was announced this week that her name is Kara.

Vicks and Sesi are already parents of a 4 year old daughter Nanuq, who now lives in Munich. Sesi's great grandmother CW was born in Memphis Tennessee. Vick's grandfather Omaha was born at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska.

Baby Kara and her mother Sesi in Mulhouse, France,
on Kara's first outing this week. Photo published by Mulhouse Zoo.

Osaka, Japan - November 25

November 25, Tennoji Zoo in Osaka, twins were born, with one surviving. Parents are 16 year old Gogo and 7 year old Shilka (Icchan). This is Shilka's first cub. Gogo is the father of six year old Momo (Peach), now in Hamamatsu, Japan.

Shilka was born in Novosibirsk, Russia, the daughter of Gerda and Krassin. Gerda is the daughter of famous Moscow couple Simona and Vrangel. Their other children include Flocke's mother Vera, as well as Milana, Zefirka, Wolodja, and Nord. 

Gogo was born in Perm, to parents Anderma and Yukon. 

Gelendzhik Russia - late November

In late November, twins were born in Gelendzhik Safari Park in Russia, and are being raised by four keepers, all women. The father is 18 year old Commander Sedov, son of Uslada and Menshikov of St. Petersburg. These are his first cubs. The mother is 7 year old Seryozhka (Seleska), who was an orphaned cub herself.

Seleska gave birth outside the den, then went back inside, abandoning the newborns and showing no interest in taking care of them. The keepers took over, and cared for the twins, a girl and a boy. The twins were introduced to the public this week, as the keepers supervised their play inside a glass enclosure, with the cubs' parents looking in from one direction, and the adoring public from the other side.  

The twins in a holiday pose - photo by Gelendzhik Safari Park

Orsa Sweden - December 13

A long awaited birth in Orsa Bear Park in Sweden came on December 3, when 15 year old Ewa brought forth her first cub, fathered by 13 year old Wilbär.

Ewa is one of Huggies and Victor's triplets, born in 2005 in Ouwehands Zoo in the Netherlands. The other two triplets are Henk, who has fathered three sets of twins in Nuenen, the Netherlands, and Jelle, who is the father of two cubs in St. Felicien in Canada, with two different mothers.   

Wilbär is the only cub from the union of the famous couple from Stuttgart, Germany: Anton and Corinna. 

Akita Japan - December 26

On December 26,  21 year old Yuki and 17 year old Gota produced a cub in Oga Aquarium, Akita Japan. This is a first cub for Yuki. Gota is the father of Milk, born in 2012.

Yuki was born in Palic, Serbia, to father Bjorn-Heinrich and Mother Simba. Bjorn-Heinrich's parents were Aika and Gorki of Tierpark Berlin, which makes Yuki's father the brother of Eric (father of all of Olinka's cubs, and also Felix, father of Flocke, Gregor and Aleut, Charlotte, and Milak). 

Gota is the son of famous Moscow polar bear parents Murma and Untai, which makes him the brother of Rasputin, Kap, Boris/Ivan, Tonja and others. 

Rostov-on-Don Russia - December 27

8 year old Kometa and 11 year old Aion became parents on December 27, 2020 at Rostov-on-Don in Russia. It is a first cub for both of them.

Aion was born in the wilderness on the Chukchi Sea, found as a young cub near the village of Aion and taken to the Moscow Zoo.

Kometa and her twin brother Nanuq were born in Zoo Brno in the Czech Republic to parents Cora and Umka. Nanuq is in  Ukraine and has a daughter. Kometa's mother Cora is daughter of Uslada and Menshikov of St. Petersburg.

Mother Olinka at rest now

                                                        Olinka and one of her cubs 

Olinka was a patient mother, and that quality served her well in raising eight cubs. 

Sizzel and Todz, with mother Olinka

At age 28, which is fairly senior age for a lady polar bear, she was diagnosed with an advanced liver tumor, and possibly kidney involvement, while under anesthetic on Tuesday, February 9, and in light of how unwell she had been lately, it was decided to not wake her.

She had lived at Diergaarde Blijdorp in Rotterdam since 2010, where she lived with Eric, father of all her cubs, until his death in 2015. 

Lunchtime in Rotterdam

Olinka was born November 21, 1992 in Cologne, Germany, the daughter of Olga and an American born male named Omaha.

I remember the first polar bears I ever saw, when I used to take my kids to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha Nebraska, many times in 1980-83. At that time, Olaf and Olga had had a cub, named Omaha, born just after my son was born. Omaha grew up and was sent off to Europe. That cub was Olinka's father. Olinka was the only cub he fathered.

Young Olinka and her mother Olga moved to Vienna, where they met Eric. He would father two cubs with Olga, and eight with Olinka.

 There in Vienna, Olinka gave birth to twins Lloyd and Nika in 2000. In 2001, Olinka's mother Olga gave birth to Felix and Nord, so to make room in Vienna, in early 2002, Nika moved to Karlsruhe, and Olinka and young Lloyd moved to Bremerhaven, where Lloyd still lives.

Then back to Vienna, where Lara was born in 2004. Both Olinka and young Lara moved to Gelsenkirchen in 2005,  where they stayed for a year. Then back to Vienna again, leaving Lara in Gelsenkirchen.  Twins Arktos and Nanuq were born in 2007 in Vienna. Then in 2010 Olinka made her final move to Rotterdam, where she gave birth to Vicks at the end of the year. In 2014, Olinka had twins Sizzel and Todz. Shortly afterwards, Eric passed away.

Seven of her eight cubs are alive and well, and have produced eight grandchildren for Olinka.

Lloyd lives in Bremerhaven, and is the father of Lale, Lili, Anna and Elsa. Nika passed away last year in Karlsruhe. Lara still lives in Gelsenkirchen and is the mother of daughter Nanook. Arktos lives in Highlands Wildlife Park and is the father of Wee Hamish. Nanuq lives in Nuremberg. Vicks lives in Mulhouse France and is the father of daughter Nanuq and a brand new cub. Sizzel lives in Rostock, and Todz lives in LeVigen France.

Russian male Wolodja has lived in Rotterdam for the past few years, and now is the only polar bear there. 

Olinka keeping an eye on Todz and Sizzel

Twins Todz and Sizzel, with mom Olinka

Olinka and daughter Sizzel

Olinka and cub

Olinka was a patient mother, here with Sizzel and Todz

It's sad to think that Olinka is gone. She was a loving, attentive mother, happy to play with her cubs, and very affectionate. A beautiful lady. She leaves a lasting legacy in her children and grandchildren.

 There are only a few polar bears of the Olaf and Olga line left in the U.S., in spite of their having seven children. I am happy to know so many of their bloodline lives on in Olinka's cubs all over Europe.

Olinka has now strolled into history. Rest in Peace, sweet lady.

Cousins Nanuk and Nanook come to town

 

Nanook of Gelsenkirchen 

Nanuk, is Inuit for ice bear or polar bear, and thus some variation of the name seems very popular when it comes to naming those cute little cubs. 

But I believe every bear should have a unique name, which shouldn't be too hard since there are so few of them in zoos. Still, they duplicate names.

Nanuq in Mulhouse, France 

Now we have a situation where two young bears who are first cousins, with almost the same name, are moving in together, along with Giovanna in Tierpark Hellabrunn in Munich.

Giovanna with her daughter Quintana in Hellabrunn 

Quintana, Giovanna's three year old daughter by the late Yoghi, has just moved to Zoo La Fleche in France,  and the polar bear habitat in Munich is quite roomy, with tundra and taiga areas. Two other young female bears have been invited to make it their home. In fact, they have just arrived.

Nanook, with her mother Lara in the water, in Gelsenkirchen ZOOM. 

Nanook is the daughter of Bill and Lara, and was born in Gelsenkirchen ZOOM December 4, 2017. Bill came from Zoo Brno in the Czech Republic, and is the son of Cora and the late Umka. Lara was born in Vienna in 2004 and is the daughter of Olinka and Eric. Nanook is the only cub so far from Bill and Lara.

Sesi and Baby Nanuq 

Baby Nanuq in Mulhouse, France

Nanuq was born in Mulhouse, France November 7, 2016. Her father is Vicks, son of Olinka and Eric, born in Rotterdam Zoo in 2010 and her mother is Sesi, daughter of Freedom and the late Victor, born in Ouwehands Zoo, both in the Netherlands. Nanuq is the first and only cub from Vicks and Sesi so far.

Sesi and Nanuq 

Nanuq's father Vicks 

Thus Nanook's mother Lara is sister to Nanuq's father Vicks so they are first cousins. 

The Munich zoo plans to give Nanuq a new name, so there won't be any confusion.

All polar bears have a unique number assigned to them too, and in recent years, they all get a microchip so with just a little scanning, keepers can know they have the right bear.

Giovanna in Munich 

Giovanna is also mother to Nela and Nobby, born in 2013. Nela is in Emmen Wildlife Park in the Netherlands, and Nobby is in Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the UK. 

Giovanna

Giovanna is not totally unrelated to the new girls. She was born in Fasano, Italy, and her father, (Italian) Felix, was the son of Gorki and Polly. Polly's sister Aika and the same Gorki were parents of Eric, who was father of Olinka, grandmother of both Nanuq and Nanook. 

Thus Gorki is grandfather to Giovanna, and great grandfather to both Nanuq and Nanook.

Giovanna is also known as the childhood companion of the famous late Knut in the Berlin Zoo, where she was sent while Zoo Hellabrunn was building their wonderful polar bear habitat in Munich.

Olinka of Rotterdam Zoo, mother of Lara and Vicks (among others)

There is an American connection too, as Nanuk and Nanook are both descended from the famous Olaf and Olga of the Omaha Zoo, through their Son Omaha, who is the father of Olinka,  who is the mother of Nanuq's father Vicks, and Nanook's mother Lara. 

The right side habitat in Munich has a large grassy area with a stream running through, and lots of hills and trees. The left  side is rocky, with stones to climb on, and a nice big pool for swimming. Both sides are glassed in, and can be separated, or the door can be left open so all three bears eventually can be together. 

Aika's family

Aikas Familie

Aika

For International Polar Bear Day, I am paying tribute to that grand lady Aika, age 35, and her large family all over the world. She became the mother of three sons with Gorki at Berlin Tierpark, is matriarch to 10 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild.

Für internationale Eisbär Tag, zahle ich Tribut an diese großen Dame Aika, 35 Jahre alt, und ihrer großen Familie auf der ganzen Welt. Sie wurde die Mutter von drei Söhnen mit Gorki in Berlin Tierpark ist Matriarchin bis 10 Enkelkinder, 6 Urenkel und ein Ur-Ur-Enkel.

Aika in all her glory

Aika may very well be the oldest polar bear alive, too. She was born November 24, 1980, in Katowice, Poland, which makes her 35 years old.

Es ist sehr gut möglich dass Aika die älteste Eisbärin ist die noch am Leben ist. Sie war am 24 November 1980 geboren, in Katowice, Polen, sie ist nun schon 35 Jahre alt.

Aika loves to sit on her favorite rock at the Tierpark Berlin

When she was two years old, she moved the Tierpark Berlin: that was in 1982.

Als sie zwei Jahre alt war, zog sie um in den Tierpark Berlin, das war im Jahr 1982.

Aika

In 1986 she gave birth to Bjorn-Heinrich, who fathered three cubs. He lived for a time in Palic, Serbia, and finally died in 2011 at the age of 25. He fathered daughters Yuki (1999) and Paula (2004), who are in Japan, and son Yorik (2006), who lives in Palic, after a time in Sosto Zoo in Hungary. None of these three have had offspring so far. Paula has lived at the zoo in Sendai since 2005, and was there at the time of the Tsunami in 2012. Those were tragic times in Sendai  and they were lucky the Tsunami stopped short of the zoo.

Im Jahr 1986 gebar sie Bjorn-Heinrich, der dann später drei Jungen gezeugt hat. Er lebte eine Zeit lang in Palic, Serbien und starb schließlich im Jahre 2011 im Alter von 25. Er hat die Töchter Yuki gezeugt (1999) und Paula (2004), welche in Japan sind, und Sohn Yorik (2006), der in Palic lebt nach einer gewissen Zeit dann im in Sosto Zoo in Ungarn. Keiner dieser drei Nachkömmlinge hatte bilang Nachkommen. Paula lebt seit 2005 im Zoo in Sendai und war zum Zeitpunkt des Tsunami im Jahr 2012 betroffen. Das waren tragische Zeiten in Sendai, und sie hatten das große Glück, die Tsunamiflutwelle wurde kurz vor dem Zoo gestoppt.

Aika takes a stroll

.November 1990 – son Hokoto, originally named Banause (which means Philistine) in Berlin – lived in Kagoshima Japan, died in March of 2015 at the age of 24. 

November 1990 - Sohn Hokoto, ursprünglich genannt Banause (das bedeutet Philister ) in Berlin - lebte in Kagoshima Japan, starb im März 2015 im Alter von 24.

Aika on her favorite perch

And now we come to Eric, who was born December 8, 1993 in Berlin. When he was just under one year old, he was sent to Vienna, where he met a two year girl cub Olinka, and her mother Olga, who was wildborn.  Olinka had an American born father, Omaha.

Und nun kommen wir zu Eric, der 8. Dezember geboren wurde, 1993 in Berlin. Als er knapp ein Jahr alt war, wurde er nach Wien geschickt, wo er ein zweijähriges Eisbären Mädchen Olinka traf, und ihre Mutter Olga, die in der Wildnis geboren war. Olinka hatte einen in Amerika geborenen Vater namens Omaha.

Aika

 Eric lived happily with the mother and daughter, and in 2000, Olinka and Eric gave birth to twins, Lloyd and Nika in November of 2000. 

Eric lebte glücklich mit der Mutter und der Tochter, und im Jahr 2000, Olinka und Eric gebaren Zwillinge, Lloyd und Nika im November 2000.

Eric's son Lloyd, twin of Nika. He lives in Bremerhaven, Germany

Lloyd's daughter Lale. She now lives in Emmen, the Netherlands

Erick's daughter Nika, twin of Lloyd. She lives in Karlsruhe, Germany

Nika now lives in Karsruhe. Lloyd is the father of Lale of Bremerhaven, and a new daughter just born, with Valeska. Lale is now in Emmen.

Nika lebt heute in Karlsruhe. Lloyd ist der Vater von Lale aus dem Zoo in Bremerhaven und eine neue Tochter ist im Winter 2015 gerade geboren worden, von Valeska. Lale ist jetzt in Emmen in den Niederlanden.

Eric's son Felix, who now lives in Rhenen, Netherlands

The following year, in 2001, Eric fathered cubs with Olga, and that was Nord and Felix. These are the only cubs he had with the mother, Olga. Nord lives in Tallin, Estonia.

Im folgenden Jahr, 2001, zeugte Eric wieder Jungtiere mit Olga, und das waren Nord und Felix. Dies sind die einzigen Jungtiere, die er mit der Mutter hatte. Nord lebt in Tallin, Estland.

Felix's daughter Flocke and her daughter Hope.
 They live on the Riviera in France

 Felix is the father of Flocke, Gregor, Aleut and Charlotte, all born in Nuremburg with Vera, and also daughters Milak with Victoria and the late Augo with Malik in Aalborg Denmark. Milak now lives in Canada. Flocke gave birth to Hope last year in Antibes, France, with Rasputin, so Aika is Hope's great great grandmother.

Felix ist der Vater von Flocke, Gregor, Aleut und Charlotte, alle geboren in im Tierpark in Nürnberg mit Vera, und und er zeugte auch eine Tochter namens Milak mit Victoria und der leider verstorbenen Augo mit Malik im Aalborg Zoo in Dänemark. Milak lebt heute inm Zoo Sauvage St.Felicien Quebec, Kanada. Flocke gebar im vergangenen Jahr in Antibes, Frankreich Eisbärmädchen Hope, Vater ist Rasputin, somit ist Aika Hopes Ur- Urgroßmutter.

Milak, daughter of Felix. She was born in Denmark and now lives in Canada

Felix's daughter Charlotte. She is at home in Nuremburg

Felix's sons Aleut and Gregor. The twins now live in Warsaw, Poland

Felix's daughter Augo (sadly died from accidental fall)

Eric's daughter Lara. She lives in Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Olinka and Eric had daughter Lara in 2004 and twins Arktos and Nanuq in 2007. Lara lives in Gelsenkirchen, Arktos has moved to Scotland, and Nanuq lives in Hanover.

Olinka und Eric bekamen Tochter Lara im Jahr 2004 und die Zwillinge Arktos und Nanuq dann in 2007. Lara lebt in Gelsenkirchen, und man hat Arktos nach Schottland versandt, und Nanuq lebt in Hannover Erlebnis Zoo.

Eric's son Nanuq, twin of Arktos He lives in Hannover. 
Arktos lives in Scotland

Eric lived in Vienna until the end of 2008, when he moved to Rotterdam. Olinka moved to Rotterdam in the spring of 2010, and that fall, they had Vicks, who became famous when he playfully threw a rock at the expensive giant viewing window of the polar bear pool, and broke it. Naughty Vicks! 

Eric lebte in Wien bis Ende 2008, als er dann nach Rotterdam verlegt wurde. Olinka wurde ebenso nach Rotterdam im Frühjahr 2010 versandt, und im Herbst bekamen sie Vicks, der berühmt wurde, als er spielerisch einen Stein im Wasser warf und die große Fensterscheibe des Eisbären Pools traf und diese zersplitterte in viele kleine Scherben. Frecher Vicks!

Erick's son and daughter Todz and Sizzel. They live in Rotterdam

Olinka gave birth to twins again in the fall of 2014, but Eric was not well, and he died in February of 2015. The cubs were named Todz (boy) and Sizzel (girl), and they are still with their mother in Rotterdam.

Olinka gebar nochmals Zwillinge im Herbst 2014, aber Eric ging es gar nicht mehr gut, und er starb im Februar 2015. Die Jungtiere wurden Todz genannt (Junge) und Sizzel (Mädchen), und sie sind immer noch mit ihrer Mutter in Rotterdam.

Aika (left) watches Wolodja and Tonja in Berlin Tierpark

Aika has an adopted family too, in Berlin Tierpark. When two year old Tanja arrived from Moscow, old Aika became young again by playing games with the young cub. Later, another two year old cub Wololdja, arrived also from Moscow, and she made him feel welcome too.

Aika bekam dann eine Adoptivfamilie, im Berlin Tierpark. Als die zwei Jahre alte Tanja aus Moskau angekommen war, wurde dieschon getagte alte Aika wurde wieder jung durch Spiele mit der jungen Eisbärin. Später kam noch ein weiteres Jungtier hinzu, sein Name ist Wololdja, er kam auch aus Moskau, und sie nahm ihn auch willkommen.

 At  age 35, Aika stille plays and has fun with the toys that are now allowed in the Berlin zoos. She truly has an international family, with grandchildren all over the world.

Im Alter von 35, spielt Aika immer noch und hat Spaß mit dem Spielzeug, das jetzt in den Berliner Zoos erlaubt sind. Sie hat wirklich eine internationale Familie, mit Enkelkindern auf der ganzen Welt.

Thank you to Marga Andresen-Gransow for the German translation.

Sizzel and Todz having fun

Sizzel und Todz haben Spaß

Todz and Sizzel dance and play

In the historic Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp) you will find Olinka and her two cubs, born December 2, 2014. Their father Eric died in February, when the cubs were just a few months old. He was only 22 years old.

Im historischen Rotterdam Zoo (Blijdorp) finden Sie Olinka und ihren zwei Jungen, geboren am 2. Dezember 2014. Ihr Vater Eric starb im Februar, als die Jungen nur ein paar Monate alt waren. Er war erst 22 Jahre alt.

Mother Olinka plays referee as
 Sizzel wrestles brother Todz to the ground

Todz sits on the shore. Olinka wants him to swim

The zoo has just announced that the twins are a girl and a boy, and their name are Sizzel and Todz. Sizzel, the girl, seems to be more adventurous. Todz is more likely to wait at the side of the pool until his mother and sister pull him in.

Der Zoo hat soeben verkündigt, dass die Zwillinge ein Junge und ein Mädchen sind, und ihre Namen sind Sizzel und Todz. Sizzel, das Mädchen, scheint mehr Abenteuerlustig zu sein. Todz wartet lieber an der Seite des Pools, bis seine Mutter und Schwester ihn zu sich ins Wasser ziehen.

Mama Olinka tries to get Todz to come into the pool.

The twins love to play and fight

Olinka's father was an American bear, the late Omaha, named after the city in which he was born at the Henry Doorley Zoo in the USA. Omaha's parents were Olaf and Olga, who were the parents of many cubs, including the late Patches of the North Carolina Zoo, and Bam Bam, still in Omaha. Thus little Sizzel and Todz are related to many of the American bears.

Olinka Vater war ein amerikanischer Eisbär, der verstorbene Omaha, benannt nach der Stadt, in der er im Henry Doorley Zoo in den USA geboren wurde. Omahas Eltern waren Olaf und Olga, die die Eltern von vielen Jungtieren waren, einschließlich der inzwischen verstorbenen Patches des North Carolina Zoo und Bam Bam, welcher noch in Omaha lebt. Daher sind Sizzel und Todz mit sehr vielen der amerikanischen Eisbären verwandt.

Olinka and her active twins

Sizzel and Todz' grandmother on their father's side is Aika, who still lives in Tierpark Berlin.

Sizzel und Todz 'Großmutter' auf der Seite ihres Vaters ist Aika, die immer noch in Tierpark Berlin lebt.

Sizzel plays with a plastic cub, until a blackbird steals it away

Olinka And Eric have had six other cubs. Sizzel and Todz are sister and brother to Lloyd, Nika, Lara, Arktos, Nanuq and Vicks. We all remember Vicks for being the cub who threw rocks at the pool window and shattered the window, which did not totally break, but had to be replaced at great expense. Since that incident, all rocks of that size have been removed.

Olinka und Eric hatten sechs anderen Jungtiere gezeugt. Sizzel und Todz sind Schwester und Bruder von Lloyd, Nika, Lara, Arktos, Nanuq und Vicks. Wir alle erinnern uns anVicks, dass das Jungtier einen großen Stein an das Pool-Fenster warf und das Fenster zersplittern ließ, das jedoch nicht völlig zerbrechen konnte, die Scheibe musste aber mit großem Aufwand ausgetauscht werden. Seit diesem Vorfall wurden alle Steine dieser Größe aus dem Eisbärenbecken entfernt.

Video of Vicks breaking window

Sizzel, Todz and Mama Olinka

In 2001 Rotterdam Zoo opened a remarkable new area, housing an immense aquarium called the Oceanium, a butterfly dome, a new entrance, and new polar bear accommodations called Arctica, which also is home to arctic foxes. The area is spacious and well planned. There are two polar bear enclosures, so father Eric had his own place while Olinka raised the cubs. Sadly, Eric's enclosure is now empty.

Im Jahr 2001 eröffnet der Rotterdam Zoo einen bemerkenswerten neuen Bereich, ein Gehege samt einem riesige Aquarium genannt Oceanium, einen Schmetterlingskuppel, einen neuen Eingang und neue Eisbären Unterkünfte genannt Arctica, das ist auch die Heimat von Polarfüchsen. Die Anlage ist geräumig und gut geplant. Es gibt zwei Eisbären-Gehege, so hatte Vater Eric seinen eigenen Platz, während Olinka nebenan die Jungtiere aufziehen konnte. Leider ist Erics Gehege nun leer.

The pool is very wide and deep, plenty of room for waterplay.
 Here is Olinka swimming, and little Todz is on the shore

The second spacious area at Rotterdam Zoo,
 where Eric sometimes lived, is now empty.

Eric was also the father of Felix (now in Stuttgart), so Felix is half brother to Sizzel and Todz.

Eric war auch der Vater von Felix, so Felix ist Halbbruder zur Sizzel und Todz.

Sizzel swimming in the big pool

Olinka with her cubs

Here's a fun toy

Sizzel swimming with a piece of something?

Olinka in the sand pit, happily nursing her cubs

Todz chases his sister

The polar bear enclosure has grassy knolls, a sand pit where Olinka enjoys nursing her cubs, and a deep and vast diving pool, with an interior viewing area showcased by very tall, specially made windows. There are massive dead trees on which to climb, and many blackbirds to chase. The cubs also like climbing up and down the rocky cliff at the back. The twins make good use of the tremendous diving pool at the zoo. 

Die Eisbärenanlage hat Grashügel, einen Sandkasten, wo Olinka es genießt ihre Jungen zu versorgen, und ein tiefes und große Tauchbecken, mit einer im Inneren Sichtfläche durch sehr hoch, speziell angefertigte Fenster präsentiert. Es gibt riesige tote Bäume, auf denen Viel zum klettern ist, und viele Amseln zum jagen sind. Die Jungtiere klettern auch nach sehr gern oben und unter die Felswand an der Rückseite. Die Zwillinge machen guten Gebrauch vom enormen Sprungbecken im Zoo.

Sizzle hiding behind mom's legs

Sizzel and Todz spend a lot of time wrestling with and chasing each other. These cubs know how to have a good time. Olinka is very patient. She plays with them in the water, and later sits serenely on the grassy knoll while the cubs climb over her, fighting and biting. Olinka just smiles and lets the cubs play.

Sizzel und Todz verbringen viel Zeit mit Ringkämpfen und jagen einander. Diese Jungtiere wissen, wie man eine gute Zeit haben kann. Olinka ist sehr geduldig. Sie spielt mit ihnen im Wasser und später liegt sie gelassen auf dem Grashügel, während die Jungtiere über sie, klettern, miteinander kämpfen und sich beißen. Olinka lächelt nur und lässt die Jungtiere spielen.

A pyramid of bears. Olinka ignores the fight on her back

German translation thanks to Marga Andresen Gransow.