Polar Bear Cub At Scandinavian Wildlife Park Raised By Hand (PHOTOS)

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Danish zoo says a month-old polar bear cub is being raised by humans after his mother failed to produce enough milk to feed him.

Scandinavian Wildlife Park manager Frank Vigh-Larsen says Siku is doing "really fine." The cub now weighs 7 pounds (3.2 kilograms grams) — against 3 pounds (1.8 kilograms) at birth.

Vigh-Larsen said Thursday that the cub was two days old when he was removed from his mother after surveillance video inside the bear cave revealed that he "was moaning and being unruly all the time."

Vigh-Larsen says Siku would have been in danger of death if he had stayed with his mother.

Three people are giving round-the-clock care to the cub at the zoo in Kolind, 105 miles (170 kilometers) northwest of Copenhagen.

Comments

[Sabrae]

02:56 PM on 12/25/2011

I raised five abandoned newborn kittens that looked just like that. I now have five cats, but that just goes with territory. :D

[LiberalBuzz]

01:31 PM on 12/24/2011

Too cute, but the ADS HAVE GOT TO BE SHORTER.

[Frank-Landfield]

12:17 PM on 12/24/2011

Amen.
So cute.
Blessings.

[tallen]

04:57 PM on 12/23/2011

Holiday cuteness. :)

[demilieu]

01:00 PM on 12/23/2011

Correction: People taste like chicken, not pork.

[Gringostan]

12:16 PM on 12/23/2011

Too cute; I want one…

[memphis360]

11:46 AM on 12/23/2011

Yeah...Real cute...for now. Not so cute when he goes into adulthood and his blood thirsty ways are the norm. Cute? not so much.

[Sabrae]

03:03 PM on 12/25/2011

They're not bloodthirsty. That would be the human species.

Animals kill to eat or defend themselves and nothing more.

[sentimentiques]

05:51 PM on 12/25/2011

And if they decide to eat their owners, then what?

[aFtersootdamP]

10:53 AM on 12/23/2011

Really pathetic. liberals get all warm and fuzzy if it's an animal. But if it's a human they want to abort it.

[Cameron Coffman]

12:07 PM on 12/23/2011

aFtersootdamP can you blame them. I mean look at what you just wrote. Look at individuals like yourself. You are a virus. You breed to much and care to little. You are a narcissist to the 10th power. Your passing and your family passing will be a blessing. Happy Holidays!

[Clay Brogdon]

12:52 PM on 12/23/2011

"You breed to much and care to little." that is a great line, I must admit! However, the irony of what aFtersootdamP rings somewhat true.

[imsixftsix]

12:11 PM on 12/23/2011

only if it's you, precious...hold on...let me get my coathanger...

[Gringostan]

12:17 PM on 12/23/2011

You may need a Dixie size hanger; let me help you…

[lullu]

10:22 AM on 12/23/2011

Polar bears form a deep bond with their human care givers. The PBS documentary that profiled the exact same thing in Japan a number of years ago did not end well. It was heartbreaking to watch the adult bear suffering from severe separation anxiety when he had to be placed in a zoo. I have never forgotten the despair that poor bear felt. Hopefully that can be avoided with this baby.

[sentimentiques]

05:57 PM on 12/25/2011

Let's hope they're able to avoid the Japanese example, perhaps by wearing polar bear suits, similar to how the California Condors were nursed until they could fly on their own and not suffer identification with their handlers.

[Lo Chiaro]

09:12 AM on 12/23/2011

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man" -- Gandhi

[ATXNight]

10:13 AM on 12/23/2011

Great quote! Thank you.

[trailerguy]

12:54 PM on 12/23/2011

Nazi germany had some of the most progressive animal cruelty laws on the books

[greylox]

05:19 PM on 12/23/2011

**Really? Could you elaborate?

[AnimalLover6]

04:32 AM on 12/23/2011

“I think I could turn and live with the animals, they are so placid and self contained;
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition;
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins;
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God;
Not one is dissatisfied-not one is demented with the mania of owning things;
Not one kneels to another, nor his kind that lived thousands of years ago;
Not one is responsible or industrious over the whole earth.”
― Walt Whitman

[american-dolt]

09:43 AM on 12/23/2011

And I thought George W. Bush said that.

[Whistlejackett]

10:47 AM on 12/23/2011

foolish response but typically American.

[kareemachan]

01:09 PM on 12/23/2011

At least your user name is correct.

[sentimentiques]

06:00 PM on 12/25/2011

Great quote, thanks for providing it!

[Maggie K]

01:58 AM on 12/23/2011

!!!!! So precious!!!!!

[mudshark12]

01:17 AM on 12/23/2011

Picture must've been taken shortly after birth as his eyes are still closed. I'd like to see a newer picture, at one month old Siku doubled in size (7 lbs). At maturity he will weigh between 770–1,500 lb and measure between 7.9–9.8 ft in length. We humans are on their menu as a carnivore THAT big needs to eat, I wonder if we taste good to them?

A few links if you'd like to know more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/polar-bear/

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/

http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/polar_bear.php

[davyjones2112]

07:01 AM on 12/23/2011

i googled it. apparently people taste like pork chops.

[mudshark12]

03:19 PM on 12/23/2011

Indeed! Robert A. Heinlien used to refer to Humans as "long pigs" in some of his books.

[sentimentiques]

06:01 PM on 12/25/2011

I'll pass on the taste test, thanks!

[kareemachan]

01:10 PM on 12/23/2011

I don't know what people taste like, but polar bears taste very fishy. And tough.

[mudshark12]

03:20 PM on 12/23/2011

Thank you! I'm given to believe that you're a Native American, it is understandable that you would know this, and I do not fault you for eating polar bear either as you may have had no other choice.

[CapnSnazSnap]

01:07 AM on 12/23/2011

What video? What's the deal with the Huffpost iPad app? There aren't any videos!! Boo!

[mados123]

01:44 AM on 12/23/2011

It's Flash video. Got to talk to Apple.

[Guytar]

12:20 PM on 12/23/2011

Er no. Huffpost posted an unwatchable link.

[opprobrious]

02:35 AM on 12/23/2011

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1105759--cuter-than-knut-polar-bear-cub-adopted-by-humans-absolutely-fine?bn=1

[hellinahandcart]

08:22 AM on 12/23/2011

Thank you, opprobrious... I wasn't getting the video, either. That was SO precious.

F&F

[Demarcus Jackson]

12:22 AM on 12/23/2011

It would have been cuter without the Kmart ad.