German zoo welcomes newborn polar bears but fears for their survival

A polar bear at a zoo in the south-western German city of Karlsruhe has given birth to two cubs, but chances are they might not survive, the zoo said on Saturday, reported dpa.

It was the first time the female called Nuka had given birth, and the first time that any polar bear had given birth at the Karlsruhe zoo since 1991, director Matthias Reinschmidt said.

Polar bears usually withdraw to a birthing den several weeks before giving birth, but the two cubs were born in an outdoor enclosure, according to the zoo.

Reinschmidt noted that the mortality rate among young polar bears was generally very high "even under regular conditions - in nature and in the zoo."

"The probability of survival is extremely low when a cub is born in an outdoor enclosure," he added.

In order to maintain the small remaining chance of the cubs surviving, the area around the outdoor enclosure has been cordoned off for visitors, and glass panels surrounding the enclosure have been whitewashed to provide privacy.

"This is to enable Nuka, who is lying in a half-cave open at the front, to take care of the two little cubs as undisturbed as possible."

Nuka was brought from Pairi Daiza Zoo in the Belgian province of Hennegauins to Karlsruhe in March as part of the European endangered species programme EEP.

She was born on November 26, 2016 at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark. Her mate Kap, who was born in Moscow in 2000, is considered to be one of the most genetically valuable polar bears in the EEP. He has only reproduced once before, in Hamburg.

Polar bears are considered endangered. The population in the wild is estimated at around 25,000 animals. They live in different areas of the northern polar region. The EEP aims to maintain a reserve population in human care.