Brno Zoo welcomes its first male polar bear in eight years from Germany

Brno Zoo has welcomed its first male polar bear in eight years, adding a young animal from Germany’s Karlsruhe Zoo after the arrival of two females from Denmark earlier this year.

The newcomer is adjusting to his surroundings away from public view. Visitors will be able to see him once keepers move him into the main enclosure, but the zoo has not announced when that will happen.

Born on Nov. 2, 2024, the bear recently turned two. He weighed 257 kilograms at his most recent weighing and is expected to grow considerably: adult male polar bears commonly weigh between 350 and 600 kilograms, sometimes more.

“The arrival of the new male is another step toward restoring a full polar bear breeding program at Brno Zoo,” director Radana Dungelová said.

She thanked colleagues in Karlsruhe and the coordinator of the European conservation breeding program for helping arrange the transfer.

The move forms part of a coordinated effort to maintain a genetically diverse population in zoos, Karlsruhe Zoo director Matthias Reinschmidt said in a statement.

Brno’s two young females arrived from Denmark earlier this year. The male is now staying in a separate holding enclosure in the lower part of the zoo, close to the exhibit occupied by the females.

For now, the priority is allowing him to become comfortable with his new surroundings and daily care routine.

“The most important thing for us now is that the male feels safe in his new environment. We will give him as much time as he needs,” Dungelová said.

Keepers will monitor the bear’s behavior, food intake and responses to unfamiliar surroundings as they assess his adjustment.

The separate enclosure gives him a quiet space to get used to the new setting, the keepers’ routine and everyday activity around him.

The length of that process will depend on the animal, zoo spokesman Jan Bedřich said. There is therefore no fixed timetable for moving him into the main exhibit.

Visitors planning a trip specifically to see the newcomer should expect him to remain out of sight initially. His arrival marks the return of a male polar bear to Brno after an eight-year absence, but his introduction to the public will follow only once keepers consider him ready.