PROVIDENCE - Ahh, to be a young polar bear at the Roger Williams Park Zoo. What a life.
The zoo's 2 1/2-month-old polar bear cub has basically three main activities: eating lots of food, playing with mom and dozing off in the comfort of an exclusive den.

This leisurely lifestyle may sound like fun, but zoo officials say the process is critical to the little bear's development. And so far, the animal is performing like a pro.

A hidden camera has captured footage of the cub walking steadily and roughhousing with its mother, Trixie. Feeding on a steady diet of mother's milk, the cub now weighs about 15 pounds and measures 15 to 18 inches long — about the size of a "big round puppy," says Robbie Fearn, the zoo's curator of education.

Soon the animal will be meeting — or sniffing — new friends as more members of the zoo's staff are allowed into the cubbing den to acquaint the animal with human scent.

Since the cub's birth in December, only a handful of zoo officials have ventured into the sequestered den to drop off food for the mother, Fearn said.

Zoo officials have been careful not to disturb Trixie's motherly work, relying instead on a hidden camera to monitor the cub's growth.

But as the cub grows stronger, so too has the bond between mother and baby bear. Trixie has been very attentive to her newborn, grooming, feeding and playing with the cub — all signs of the couple thriving, Fearn said.

"The cub has turned mom into a jungle gym to climb all over," Fearn said. "We are astonished by the amount of activity in the den. The wrestling and grooming is extensive."

The more comfortable mom and cub are together in private, the more comfortable they will be when they make their public debut, he said.

If all goes well, the public will be able to view the cub in early April, at its outdoor exhibit and pool.

Zoo officials say the timing is consistent to a polar bear's upbringing in the wild. Wild polar bears are born in the isolation of the cubbing den and remain with their mother in the den through the winter, emerging when they are large enough to survive in the arctic habitat.

But more than two months after the furry star was born, the mystery continues: Is this polar bear a he or she?

Despite regular monitoring by video camera, zoo officials have still not determined the sex of the cub. Fearn said the answer may not be known until zoo officials can observe the animal in the open.

"Until then, we don't want to run the risk of getting too close to the cub," Fearn said. "There will be plenty of time to determine the sex."

Zoo officials are more intrigued by the activity inside the cubbing den, studied for the first time through cameras. Scientists, who have never been able to view a den directly, had previously thought the environment was more staid, Fearn said.

But the cub is constantly at play — pouncing on Trixie's face, clinging to her side and taking its first tentative steps on four legs. And Trixie has started eating again, after a three-month fasting period when she relied on fat stored up from the summer.

Lately, the cub has started to follow its mother to other parts of the indoor holding space — a crucial stage in developing musculature and preparing to venture into the real world.

DIGITAL EXTRA

See the latest video of the baby polar bear at Roger Williams Park Zoo and browse other links related to the cub at:

http://www.projo.com/news/polarbear

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