In the animal kingdom, there are times when a mother abandons her young for various reasons. When this happens, animal lovers can’t just stay still and watch the helpless youngling wither and die. Instead, they try to help it survive, giving it a second chance in life. This is what happened with this polar bear cub who was abandoned by its mother in the den.
Meet Nora, the loneliest polar bear cub.
In the cold, concrete walls of Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Zoo, Ohio in 2015, a polar bear named Aurora gave birth to her cub inside her den. The zookeepers named that cub Nora. Nora was just a little bigger than a puppy, and she would always crawl to her mother for warmth and sustenance.
However, just after six days, Aurora left her den, leaving her cub alone. Nora was still too young to try and survive by herself.
Polar bears do not usually leave their young alone.
When polar bears give birth, they would never leave their cub in the den, not even for food. They would stay to nurse their cubs for many months until they can walk. However, the mother’s part is not over yet. The next time the mother leaves her den, she would take her cubs with her and hunt food with them.
In that way, the cubs would be able to observe and learn from their mother until they are capable of hunting by themselves. The weaning period in polar bears usually lasts for 2-2.5 years, sometimes even longer just to make sure that the cubs are prepared for the real world.
The zoo took matters into their own hands.
However, that is not the case with Aurora and Nora at the zoo. When Aurora came out of her den, Zookeeper Devon Sabo kept an eye on her to see if she comes back. Unfortunately, that was the last time the cub saw her mother. The zoo decided that they should nurse the cub themselves and try to give her a second chance.
The staff worked together to feed the cub and keep her healthy. She sleeps in her bed like she is in the comfort of her own mother’s den. It did not take too long for Nora to show improvements and her growth was stable enough to give the zoo hope.
Nora’s wholesome adventure in the zoo.
In six weeks, Nora is already a charming and cuddly teddy bear. She got that innocent puppy eyes that just warms your very heart. Ten weeks after birth, you could see little Nora playing happily with her things.
In four months, Nora has grown bigger and the zoo introduced her to a bigger space with a pool that she could dip and swim in anytime she wants. People came to watch Nora living happily inside her own space, and they really adored her.
She moved to Oregon zoo when she was 10 months old and her new caretakers had taught her various tricks that made guests smile in awe. A year after that was Nora’s last viewing at Oregon zoo, and she was then transferred to Utah’s Hogle Zoo.
The bear turns five years old this month.
Utah Hogle Zoo celebrated Nora’s 5th birthday recently this sixth of November. They even uploaded Nora’s special birthday video on Facebook. It is amazing how such a feeble, motherless cub before has grown into an elegant polar bear that is beloved by people.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
