Baby bear cubs seen on safari

One-year-old bear cubs, Koda and Georgia, have ventured out to meet the rest of the North American black bears for the first time!

The pair were a welcomed arrival during the first lockdown in 2020 and were the first bear cubs to be born at the Park since the last surprise trio in 2016. The beautiful bears were given their names by the public, as part of a competiiton. 

Up until now the two youngsters have been enjoying some quiet bonding time with their mother, Phoenix, in a secluded pen. But just before the Park re-opened to visitors the pair joined the rest of the bears in the main drive-through enclosure, under the watchful eye of mum.

Male, Koda, a confident individual was quick to investigate and had no problem leaving Phoenix’s side. Meanwhile, his sister Georgia was a little more cautious and was quick to show off her climbing skills as she clambered up the nearest tree if anything startled her.

It didn’t take Georgia long to settle though and she can now be seen climbing and playing alongside Koda as they explore their new home, which they share with five other North American black bears.  

Keeper, Tommy Babington has given us an update on the pair:

"Koda has always been the more confident and adventurous of the two, so he has been keen to investigate and hasn't been worried about leaving mum's side since they moved into the main enclosure. Georgia is naturally more nervous but it has been great to see her also running and playing with Koda; although she does keep charging back to Phoenix from time to time!

Father, Xanthos came close by to investigate the cubs on the first day they went out but Phoenix was quick to make it clear to him that he wasn't to come too close. The cubs comfortably watched the whole encounter from the branches of a large tree but quickly scrambled down to carry on playing after Xanthos had moved on."

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Visitors can now enjoy trying to spot the young family as they drive through their enclosure on the Road Safari.

Koda can be identified by his distinctive white mark on his chest, while Georgia has black fur all over – see if you can tell them apart if you see them!