First polar bear cub born in the UK for 25 years at Scottish park

Staff at Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland confirm the birth to mother Victoria but say the first three months of life for the new-born cub are perilous

Patrick Barkham

Wed 3 Jan ‘18 10.31 GMTLast modified on Wed 3 Jan ‘18 22.00 GMT

The first polar bear cub to be born in Britain for 25 years is being cared for in a private den by its mother, Victoria, at the Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland.

Staff at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) park confirmed the birth after hearing distinct high-pitched sounds from Victoria’s maternity unit, which remains closed to visitors to ensure privacy.

The news of the birth comes 24 hours after a polar bear cub at a Berlin zoo died aged 26 days, and the RZSS admitted that the first three months would be perilous for the newborn polar bear.

Una Richardson, the park’s head keeper responsible for carnivores, said: “While we are absolutely thrilled, we are not celebrating prematurely as polar bear cubs have a high mortality rate in the first weeks of life due to their undeveloped immune system and the mother’s exaggerated need for privacy, with any disturbance risking the cub being killed or abandoned.”

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Breeding hope for wildcat kittens at Highland Wildlife Park

A zoo's two new kittens could have a future role in a project to breed Scottish wildcats in captivity for possible release into the wild.

Ness and Einich were born at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's (RZSS) Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, near Aviemore.

RZSS and the Aspinall Foundation are leading the plans for a conservation breeding programme.

The wildlife park will be among the project's main breeding sites.

RZSS said Ness and Einich may play a part in the programme, which is part of the wider Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan unveiled last month and involves Scottish Natural Heritage.

The cats are endangered in the wild.

Breeding with feral cats, disease, habitat loss and fatal collisions with road traffic have caused a dramatic decline in their numbers.

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What a Reindeer Looks Like Without His Antlers

OurAmazingPlanet Staff

Date: 01 February 2013 Time: 03:23 PM ET

Each year after the breeding season ends, male reindeer shed their impressive, branching antlers that they grow. Lenni, the six-year-old European forest reindeer at Scotland's Highland Wildlife Park, shed quite a set of antlers this year.

Lenni's antlers weighed in at a combined 23 pounds (10.5 kilograms), about the same as a 1-year-old child, the park noted in a release. Each antler was 37 inches (94 centimeters) tall and 31.5 inches (80 cm) wide.

"The shed antlers are quite striking and are the largest ones from the three males in the Park this year," said Douglas Richardson, the park's animal collection manager.

Trainee hoofstock keeper Marc Enderby holds up the antlers shed by male reindeer Lenni at Scotland's Highland Wildlife Park.

CREDIT: Edinburgh Zoo 

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/26795-reindeer-antlers-photo.html