Der Spiegel Online is reporting that the Nuremberg Zoo is prepared to let its baby polar bears die rather than interfere if the mothers reject the cubs. The zoo's director explained the plan this way: "If something goes wrong, it goes wrong," said Mägdefrau. "If you don't let the mothers practice, they'll never learn how to bring up their cubs. We have two young mothers here and if something goes wrong they'll always have other opportunities."
Well, that's certainly something you want to explain to your kids during a zoo outing: If something goes wrong with you, mommy's still young, so she'll have plenty of other chances.
Regardless of the science involved, has there ever been a worse PR move on the part of a zoo than to speak so callously about cute, fuzzy little bear cubs? And since when is a zoo director so eager to let nature take its course? We are talking about a zoo, right? Even the most natural among them is a far cry from wild ol' nature.
The Nuremberg Zoo seems especially vicious in contrast to the marketing geniuses over at the Berlin Zoo, whose hand-fed polar bear (raised by trainers after his mother rejected him) is now an international celebrity. Knut has his own Scholastic book and will be the star of an upcoming feature film. According to the Spiegel Online item, Suri Cruise is in the running for the voice-over gig.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 4)
1. kinda sounds like what humans do their unwanted, only a bit more 'merciful' than abortion.
ella at 10:58AM on Feb 12th 2008
2. I f ti were possible I would be more than glad to take cubs and feed them, I'm retired and have plenty of time and live not to distant from the NC Zoo
Charles T Mabe at 1:57PM on Jan 7th 2008
3. Who allowed the bear mom's to be bred? (or were they pregnant when they got to the zoo?) If they were bred too young (at the zoo) that would be the fault of the zoo and therefore the zoo's responsibility to see that those cubs survive. Another cause of the bear not tending to her young could be extreme stress at being locked up and not treated right. Pay my way to Germany and I WILL HAND FEED THEM!
Annie Dunham at 2:46PM on Jan 7th 2008
4. The decision of the Nuremberg zoo's Director is totally baffling. Why doesn't he ship the baby polar bears to a zoo willing to hand feed them if he isn't willing to. The only reason I can think of for his behavior is that the bears might be Jewish, so he's willing to let them die. Old habits must die hard over there. Oh, I'm not Jewish, and I'm part German, but mostly Italian and ex-Catholic, but if you can think of a bettwer reason for his thinking, I'm interested in hearing it.
J4PEACE at 1:56PM on Jan 7th 2008
5. Are you kidding me? Its very obvious that the polar bears are an endangered species due to global warming, etc. When they are all wiped out from starvation, the only bears we will be able to see and enjoy will be in the zoos. Don't you think that hand rearing cubs will be a good thing? If we don't take care of the ones we have in the zoos, then we will have none left at all. I truly believe that the bears in zoos are better off than the ones in the wild, since they have a reduced food supply due to the ice meltage. At least the ones in our zoos are fed everyday and aren't starving to death or giving birth to smaller cubs.THINK PEOPLE THINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sue Bowler at 2:13PM on Jan 7th 2008
6. Well, that's certainly something you want to explain to your kids during a zoo outing: If something goes wrong with you, mommy's still young, so she'll have plenty of other chances.
My Dear Ada Calhoun, after watching what goes into the rearing of an abandoned cub like this, are you willing to get up every hour and a half and feed it, wipe it's butt and care for it for months and months on end? It does seem cruel in a way but geeze, I watched that bear being raised over in Japan I think it was and that guy went through far more than an average parents goes through raising a child. That time could be spent caring for other animals that need that kind of attention and are not getting it.
warren garison at 1:59PM on Jan 7th 2008
7. I would like to help raise the polar cubs whose mother wouldn't. I live quite close to the NC ZOO and would like the oppurtunity,
Charles T Mabe at 2:01PM on Jan 7th 2008
8. Lets see if they have the nerve to leave the babies out where the visitors can actually witness them starving to death. And after that, lets all watch their mothers devour them. I mean, this is what happens in the wild...
Germans are bullies by nature. That's the only "natural" behaviour happening here.
Paula at 2:01PM on Jan 7th 2008
9. Ah ha, the day is saved, Charles will take them. Good for you Charles, I'm sure you will make a good provider.
warren garison at 2:01PM on Jan 7th 2008
10. To paraphrase Steven Colbert: Vie muust keel da bahr. Looks like some one took his advice.
Dennis at 2:01PM on Jan 7th 2008
11. And, what if what's wrong with the mother or baby is something the zoo did or is intrinsic to the zoo itself? I mean, afterall, no matter how close to "nature" the idiots THINK they are - they're not even near the regions in which Polar bears are found living successfully in the ghetto's,...er ah, the wild. What do they do? Blame the mother? The father must have been blond and blue eyed without the "taint" of something so wantonly untermenchen. So pragmatically German of them. Seig Heil! Next they'll burn the body in some type of oven I'd wager. Then what? Go around to other zoo's with their "simple genocidal" fix and be done with all the sub-humans? Javohl! Heir Commandant! Ist gut der klenzenzie sheit!
John at 2:11PM on Jan 7th 2008
12. Are they kidding?.How can they talk about nature's will, when they have their mother in captivity?.They are creating the "unnatural" setting to begin with! Ship them to any zoo around the world that I'm sure, will care for them!!
Utterly ridiculous!!!!!
sal at 2:44PM on Jan 7th 2008
13. I vote for Charles #2,#7 to give it a go. Polar bears only have until the spring to suckle their mother and at that only until the natural end of hibernation with the birthing of other animal's young. More and more she herself must go farhter afield to find sustenance. The mother may go many days finding food after that. Charles may need to get in touch with the Japanese slaughtering minke whales for "scientific" shit's and giggles they couch it in - but the cub would have a helluva better chance with Charles then the Gestapo! Maybe set up an agreement with fisherman sailors to get part of their by-catch they toss away dead, or the company overfishing the Menhaden fish off NC's coast. Storing blubber from whales Inuit's are allowed to take(now that they are supposed to go after the one's they've injured with high-powered rifles - (Narwhals, Beluga's, Minke's)may be a source of a natural diet.
Funds may come from many sources - Have a day with camera's and sell Internet time to watch the cub as it grows - sell T-shirts for those who help or just for donations without disturbing it as it grows -(Charles - they get LARGE appetites quick) maybe have a naming contest and why they chose the name. Control access to the cub so as not to overwhelm and get over excited - and please take precautions. The man who raises cubs to adults and let's them go would certainly be a better role model than the Grizzly Man who got killed. Born wild they pretty much stay wild. But you've already thought of this I'm sure. Do you have vets around besides or with the Zoo near to you - that would help you with things you may need to know we're only just now finding out about now? I hope someone with the resources steps up. Polar bears especially have a tough row to hoe as ice melts farther back and intrinsic habitat moves farther away from steady staulking grounds. Good luck - just sad the German's, for all their known engineering prowess, can't figure out contingencies for where they put their hands before understanding rudimentary responses from the animals they disrupt and kill.
John at 2:45PM on Jan 7th 2008
14. murderer.
Debby at 3:54PM on Jan 7th 2008
15. It's a zoo!!!! committed to preserving the species!!
When you think you heard it all then here come Nuremberg telling that we haven't.
How do you watch these babies die via starvation? No conscience, no morals and no values....if they must let these babies die, they haven't heard of merciful deaths...euthanasia? Not a living brain cell among them. Turns my stomach
May, whoever decision's this was, their death be as extreme. Good grief, what a lot they are.
sharon kubitz at 3:59PM on Jan 7th 2008