And again we celebrate birthday of the polar bear (Lat. Ursus maritimus). Today, December 8, 2020 is Smetanka's birthday, she is 3 years old. Her parents' names are Nanuk and Zefirka. Smetanka's birth in our zoo is the biggest sensation, the event is extremely important and bright, after all polar bears in Mykolaiv Zoo weren't born almost 50 years.
Even living in a zoo, polar bears give birth to their cubs at the same time as in the wild. Estrus in polar bears occurs in the spring. Pregnancy lasts 240 days (8 months), cubs are born in late November - early December. For the first time female bear takes her cubs out of the den in late March - early April, when they are three or four months old. By this time, the cubs weigh ten to fifteen kilograms and are strong enough to follow their mother.
How much strength, knowledge and experience it took the staff of our zoo to have a cub of polar bears. Three years ago, when Smetanka was born, she was a tiny, guinea pig-sized baby. But Zefirka, her mother, took very good care of her, with great tenderness. And now our Smetanka is registered in the World system of the account of animals. She has her own registration number - ZYV 18-01361. It is really a pride not only of Mykolaiv, Ukraine, but also of all zoos of the world as she is one of 5 newborns in zoos of the planet at that time.
Our beauty has grown up, her weight already reaches about 300 kg. Not so long ago, Smetanka temporarily received a separate spacious enclosure with a pool. It is located on the " Beasts island " near the enclosures of Amur tigers and the pride of the lions. This had to be done as soon as possible, as Smetanka's mother, Zefirka, was pregnant, according to the zoo staff. Smetanka occupied her enclosure while her mother was with the male Nanuk.
The fact that polar bears breed in our zoo is an indicator of the quality of the zoo specialists: a responsible attitude to animals, a proper balanced diet, an individual approach to each animal, as well as qualified veterinary care.
Mykolaiv Zoo, keeping and successfully breeding polar bears, contributes to the preservation of these beautiful animals. So it is no secret that the conservation of the species largely depends on the reproduction of rare animals in zoos…