Video shows North American black bear cubs make their public debut at Woburn Safari Park

Four North American black bear cubs have emerged from their den taking tentative steps in discovering the outside world.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The cubs were born to mother Phoenix and father Xanthos, on January 15, with their birth uniquely caught live on CCTV.

Since then they have been finding their feet and bonding with one another inside a secluded den, away from the public eye. But now, with the weather warming up, the excitable quadruplets are beginning to independently explore and experience the great outdoors.

Mummy bear Phoenix and her cubs are living separately from the other bears at the Park, to allow the cubs to grow in strength and confidence. However, lucky visitors might spot a glimpse of them as they run, play and explore their woodland home. Keepers have already seen them testing out their climbing skills on the trees in their side pen and playing with one another, before enjoying a well-deserved nap.

The black bear cubs which were born in January have made their pubic debutThe black bear cubs which were born in January have made their pubic debut
The black bear cubs which were born in January have made their pubic debut

Their mother, Phoenix, is being fed with plenty of extra fish, fruit, and protein to help her maintain her strength while she is feeding her adorable new additions.

The four youngest arrivals are siblings to the Park’s juvenile bears, Georgia and Koda, who were born in 2020. As keepers are operating a hands-off approach to the new cubs, allowing Phoenix to care for them just as she would in the wild, the four youngsters have not yet been sexed or named.

Chelsea, Carnivores Keeper at Woburn Safari Par,k said: "Phoenix is an experienced mother and as always she is doing a fantastic job of caring for her new cubs. All four of the new arrivals seem to be thriving and they’re definitely full of energy, so it looks like they’ll be keeping Phoenix busy for the next few months. Now that they’re beginning to venture out of the den more, we are all excited to watch their personalities begin to show. In time, they will meet the rest of the bears and their father Xanthos.”

> The black bear is the smallest, yet most common, of the three bear species found in America. They are opportunistic eaters, with most of their diet consisting of grasses, roots, berries, insects and fish.

Related topics: