The moment a polar bear cub experiences snow for first time

By Isolde Walters via SWNS

This is the moment a tiny polar bear cub experienced snow for the first time.

The female bear, which had to be removed from her mother's care just two days after birth, was filmed enjoying her first frolic in the snow last week. 

The three-month-old cub scrambles over a log and falls over her own paws as she explores her new frozen habitat.

The polar bear was born alongside a male twin at the Detroit Zoo in Michigan, to mother Suka, eight, and father Nuka, 16.

The specially-designed maternity den was equipped with infrared cameras to allow staff to monitor the mother and cubs without disturbing them. 

Sadly, zoo staff noticed that the female cub appeared weak and inactive and retrieved her from the den to give her medical care.

It is not known whether she will ever be reunited with her mother and sibling. 

She was examined by veterinarians and given fluids and formula - and she continues to receive around-the-clock care and bottle feeding. 

While she weighed a tiny 1.2lbs at birth, she has now grown to a hearty 11.3lbs and has graduated from an incubator to a "playpen" where she took her first steps in the snow.

A zoo spokesperson said: "It is not yet known if she can be reunited with her mother and sibling, but eventually she will live with other bears. 

"Meanwhile, we continue to monitor Suka and the cub she is caring for. 

"She has been a very attentive mom; continuously nursing, grooming and cuddling her cub, with only short water and bathroom breaks.

"The rare occurrence of twin polar bears being raised separately - one by the mother and one by humans - means that much will be learned through this experience. 

"Both cubs are monitored closely and their developmental milestones tracked. 

"Their eyes are open, their teeth are coming in, and they are both learning to take their first steps."

At birth, polar bear cubs are remarkably small and vulnerable, weighing only 1.2lbs compared to their mother's weight of 830lbs. 

Suka gave birth to cubs in 2018 and 2019, but none survived beyond a few days. 

The twin cubs are the first polar bears to be born and successfully raised at the Detroit Zoo since 2004.