Enlarge image
Polar bear Sizzel with her twins in the den in the Rostock Zoo
Photo: Rostock Zoo / dpa
Hoarse screams can be heard in the litter box of the Polarium in the Rostock Zoo.
The offspring of polar bear Sizzel, who is only a few days old, is loudly attracting attention, as can be seen on video recordings that the Rostock Zoo has recorded since the polar bear twins were born on November 14th.
The two small, blind balls of fur crawl around between the huge paws of their loving mother, looking for the teats or crawling into the straw.
Thanks to the recordings, the times of birth could also be determined precisely at 10.15 a.m. and 10.35 a.m.
The birth weight of polar bears is between 450 and 850 grams, said zoo director Antje Angeli.
For the parents Sizzel and Akiak, these are the first young animals.
Sizzel takes "great" care of the twins, said Angeli.
As far as can be observed, the two are safe and sound.
"Your daily routine is limited to screaming, drinking and sleeping at the moment."
Critical phase
It will take at least until March before the animals can be seen in the outdoor area for visitors.
"The first weeks and months are generally critical for young animals," said Angeli.
Polar bear babies are born almost naked, and fur starts to form after three to five days.
They open their eyes between the 21st to 34th day of life.
They have to be six to eight weeks old before they can take their first clumsy steps.
The sex of the twins is not known: »If everything goes well, our vet won't have to look after the animals.
Unnecessary stress should be avoided for the mother and young animals as far as possible, "emphasized the zoo boss.
The last polar bear offspring is still fondly remembered for visitors to the Rostock Zoo.
Fiete was born in December 2014 on the historic Bärenburg and had quickly become an absolute favorite with the public.
He now lives in the Sóstó Zoo in Hungary - the bear castle no longer exists.
For this purpose, the Polarium was opened in September 2018, the new home of polar bears and penguins.
According to the zoo, Sizzel was born in Rotterdam in December 2014, Papa Akiak in Rhenen (also the Netherlands) in November 2014.
Both came to Rostock after the opening of the Polarium.
At the end of 2019, 282 polar bears were living in 116 zoos worldwide.
This emerges from the international polar bear breeding book that Rostock Zoo has kept since 1980.
It is estimated that only around 23,000 animals live in the wild.
wit / dpa
