Bear necessities: Orphaned polar bear cub gets new home at Winnipeg zoo

WINNIPEG – A polar bear cub seen wandering around the northern Manitoba town of Churchill without its mother has a new home.

The polar bear conservation centre at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg says the one-year-old female bear arrived on Tuesday.

Wildlife experts decided the 45-kilogram cub needed help, so a supervised transfer to the conservation centre was arranged.

Head veterinarian, Dr. Chris Enright, says young cubs need to stay with their mothers for at least one winter to learn how to hunt on a frozen Hudson Bay.

He says experts agree cubs this young are not able to survive on their own.

The cub will be quarantined for 30 days before it is introduced to the public and seven other polar bears already at the zoo.

“This is a very unfortunate situation as it appeared we would make it through the 2016 polar bear season without a bear needing our help," Enright said in a release.

“We are happy to report that the cub is in good health and is doing well in her new surroundings.”