Nuka’s and Kap’s cubbie is a boy

10.2.2025 – Source: The Karlsruhe Zoo

First veterinary examination: our young polar bear is a male!

The polar bear cub at Karlsruhe Zoo is healthy and fit. It is now also clear that it is a male bear. This is the result of an initial examination by the two zoo vets last Friday. However, it will be a few more weeks before the little one can be seen by zoo visitors. Remodelling work is currently underway in the enclosure, and the mother and offspring will be given enough time to acclimatize.

The polar bear cub has been inside with its mother Nuka for almost two weeks. Since the birth on 2 November, the cub and Nuka had been lying in the half-cave in the outdoor enclosure, as polar bear mothers do not carry their cubs to any other place. Nuka was actually supposed to give birth in the indoor area, but decided otherwise. However, as the cub had then started to explore the enclosure, this opened up the possibility for the animal care team to bring both animals into the indoor enclosure. The two animals could then be separated from each other for a short time so that the vets could examine the baby.

‘The cub is healthy and very fit. It weighs 9.6 kilograms. The fact that it put up a good fight during the examination and could hardly be held by one person shows that it is in very good physical condition,’ reports zoo vet Dr Marco Roller, who, together with his colleague Dr Lukas Reese, checked its fur and paws and listened to its heart and lungs during the initial examination. In addition, a chip was inserted for the prescribed identification, a vaccination was injected and deworming was carried out. The examination clearly established that the little polar bear is male.

The entire process took just over five minutes, after which the cub was released back to its mother. ‘The two bears calmed down again very quickly. It was only a brief moment of stress for the animals. But the examination is very important. And it’s great news for us that the cub is so fit,’ says zoo director Dr Matthias Reinschmidt. A further direct examination is not planned for the time being.

Extensive cleaning work had to be carried out on the outdoor area, which could not be entered until just under a fortnight ago. For safety reasons, the water section was drained after the birth and large quantities of straw were placed there instead as fall protection. However, the mother bear had spread this over the entire enclosure. ‘This straw alone, which had already become mouldy and heavy due to the moisture, filled a large trough. It was time for it to come out,’ explains Reinschmidt. Plenty of large logs are currently being placed in the enclosure to enable the young bear to leave the water section to be refilled at any time if it goes for a swim.

Details on the name search in the coming week.

Once the rebuild is complete, the two animals will be allowed back into the smaller of the two outdoor enclosures. There they will be given enough time to settle in before the public will be able to see the little polar bears. ‘But the time will probably come in March,’ predicts the zoo director. Until then, there will be a search for a name for the animal. Details will be announced next week. Until then, Reinschmidt asks for a little patience: ‘Even though we have already received many suggestions, we are not yet collecting them.’

It is a great success for Karlsruhe Zoo to be able to announce the first polar bear birth in Karlsruhe since 1991. ‘Karlsruhe was one of the most successful zoos for breeding polar bears, especially in the 1980s. This is something very special after so many years,’ says Reinschmidt. On 2 November 2024, Nuka gave birth to two cubs, one of which probably died in the first few days and was subsequently eaten by the female, as in nature.

However, the second polar bear developed very well – despite the less than ideal conditions in the half-cave. As it was Nuka’s first litter, this also reduced the chances of successful rearing. In the wild, the mortality rate for cubs is even higher than 80 per cent. ‘We are all the more pleased now,’ says Reinschmidt.

Father Kap is still housed on the large part of the outdoor enclosure. He can be seen there by the zoo guests. He is not allowed to visit Nuka and the young bear, as he would most likely kill the cub. In the wild, males and females usually only come together to mate, after which they part ways again. Whether Kap, who is genetically particularly important for the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), will be allowed to go to another zoo in the coming months to possibly breed again there is now up to the decision of the studbook keeper. However, Nuka and her cub will definitely remain in the smaller part of the enclosure for the first few months, regardless of any decision on Kap.

Reinschmidt wants to capitalise on the great emotionality of a small polar bear: ‘No animal is more representative of the two biggest crises on our planet, the extinction of species and man-made global warming. We want this species to have a future. However, things are not looking particularly good for polar bears at the moment. We want to draw attention to this.’

On the subject:
The polar bear is considered ‘endangered’ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species of the World Conservation Union. The population in the wild is estimated at around 20,000 to 25,000 animals. The population is fragmented and spread across different areas of the Arctic region. The EEP aims to maintain a reserve population in captivity. In the wild, the species is endangered by climate change and the resulting dwindling ice, but also by the increased extraction of oil and gas in the Arctic regions. Karlsruhe Zoo is committed to polar bears both in the European Conservation Breeding Programme of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and in the wild. To this end, the organisation Polar Bears International is supported from the proceeds of the conservation euro.

Translated with DeepL.com