Four human mothers are caring for two polar bear cubs born in December but rejected by their mother
Four human mothers are caring for two polar bear cubs born in December but rejected by their mother in a safari park in southern Russia. For 7 days a week, 7 hours a day, the women supported by the vets are feeding the babies, providing them not only with milk but also with cuddles and massages.
Their life had started uphill. Born to a seven-year-old bear, called Seryozhka, from the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, and to Sedov, an 18-year-old bear, the two cubs had been abandoned by their mother from the very first moments of life. So the park staff decided to adopt them. Now the two bears, a boy and a girl, have four human mothers and take care of them. And they grow up happy and healthy.
Anastasia and Olesya Sakhatskaya, both 39, Maria Moroz, 32, and Yelena Milovidova, 31 have so far made enormous progress in getting puppies through the postnatal period, the most dangerous.
These are the first cubs of Sedov, a bear much loved by the inhabitants of Krasnoyarsk after spending, despite himself, most of his life in the local zoo of Royev Ruchey Park. The first six weeks of birth were the most difficult, with the four "adoptive mothers" and two veterinarians taking turns to ensure that the pups' body temperature was always stable and that they were receiving the right amount of food.
Ready? Now your mimemeter will fail from overload! Babies are already 6 weeks old? they opened their eyes, now we are waiting for teeth?
Posted by Safari Park Gelendzhik on Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Many in the Siberian city eagerly followed the updates on the puppy's progress and cheered on social media as the little ones got over breastfeeding challenges thanks to their human moms. The four Russian women do not miss the care and affection that the little ones need.
Posted by Safari Park, Gelendzhik on Thursday, January 7, 2021
“There have not yet been any cases of rearing polar bear cubs rejected by their mother in a Russian zoo, this is the first experience for us. There have been only five successful cases of polar bear cubs raised from birth in captivity worldwide. I hope we make it, ”said Yelena Milovidova, Deputy Director of Gelendzhik Safari Park.
The puppies now weigh around 4 kg and a month old. They recently opened their eyes for the first time. Now they should start doubling in weight every two weeks while at three months they will start with outdoor walks, certainly in the company of the women who are taking care of them these days.
“They don't seem to distinguish us but they know the scent of our skin and our clothes, and hearing some of us approaching them only means one thing: Mom is here and the food is on its way,” said Elena Milovidova.
Unfortunately for them, however, the young will not be reintroduced into the wild.
Sources of reference: Safari-park, The Siberian Times,
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