Zoo: Polar Bear Cubs Gone, Eaten by Mom

German zoo under fire after vowing not to interfere to save cubs
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 8, 2008 9:15 AM CST
Zoo: Polar Bear Cubs Gone, Eaten by Mom
Polar bear 'Vera' chases a bird away from the food in front of her cave at the 'Tiergarten Nuernberg' zoo in Nuremberg, southern Germany, on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. Vera had cubs recently and they're believed to be doing fine, but 'Vilma's' two cubs are dead, probably from disease. (AP Photo/Andreas...   (Associated Press)

Two polar bear cubs that captured Germany's attention have died, and the zoo thinks their mother ate them, Der Spiegel reports. The Nuremberg Zoo's decision not to interfere with the cubs' survival, despite reports that the mother might have been neglecting them, caused a storm of criticism, which is now likely to intensify. Zoo officials speculated that the cubs may have died from disease, saying in a statement, "We assume that Vilma took excellent care of her cubs until the end."

The zoo had been determined to avoid the media circus that surrounded the hand-rearing of  Knut, the cub rejected by his mother in the Berlin Zoo last year. An animal welfare group called the Nuremberg Zoo's attitude "cynical" and argued that the cubs deserved a chance at life. A third polar bear cub born to another mother has been spotted and is said to be doing fine. (More Germany stories.)

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