Polar bear triplets in Holland - level 3
Rare polar bear triplets have been born at a wildlife park in Holland.
Mother Freedom gave birth to the adorable cubs at the Netherlands Wild Life Park on Saturday. Keepers say the little ones, which are yet to be named, appear to be in good health.
“At this moment they look very healthy, they are drinking with the mother, they are very – how do you call that – active and they look very nice. They are big, big enough to survive, so we hope they will survive.”
The cubs are enjoying exploring their new surroundings and are currently enclosed inside their artificial snow and ice den where keepers can watch them from a webcam so they don't disturb the new family.
“They are in a den inside – very quiet, no noise. The mother has to do it all by herself and we can only observe the polar bear cubs and the mother with the webcam and for the rest we can do nothing.”
The next few weeks are crucial for the cubs’ survival as it's very rare that all polar bear cubs make it through their first winter and it's even rarer for female polar bears to give birth to triplets.
Difficult words: rare (it happens very few times), adorable (cute), cub (a young bear or animal), appear (look or seem), enclosed (be inside), artificial (man-made), den (a wild animal’s hidden home), disturb (bother), observe (watch), for the rest (everything else), crucial (extremely important).