Toronto Zoo’s polar bear cub now ready for visitors, but needs naps too

TORONTO – Visitors to the Toronto Zoo will now be able to see the lone surviving polar bear cub that was one of three born in November.

The zoo says the three-month-old cub has reached a new milestone by transitioning to an outside den and a polar bear maternity area.

The male cub was taken from his mother and put in the zoo’s intensive care unit a few days after his birth, when staff noticed he wasn’t moving as strongly following the death of his two siblings.

Since then, the zoo has released several YouTube videos on the cub’s progress, noting he took his first steps in early January and became more active and playful as he gained strength.

Zoo officials say the cub will be in his outdoor den from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, but there may be times when he is brought inside so veterinary teams can continue to monitor his progress.

The cub still requires a lot of sleep and usually naps after playtime following each meal, so the zoo is asking visitors to respect the cub’s “quiet times”.