It's a boy: Scotland's newest polar bear cub's sex confirmed during vet check-up

The fluffy cub cuddled keepers and appeared to want to make a bid for freedom as he was given a routine health check, which ascertained he is a boy.

The cub was also given jabs and chipped at Highland Wildlife Park, run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), where he was born in December 2021, making him the youngest in the UK.

Mum Victoria previously gave birth to Hamish, the UK's first polar bear cub in 25 years, in December 2017.

Bear with me... the three-month-old cub tries to wriggle free to play in the snow.

Keith Gilchrist, animal collection manager at Highland Wildlife Park said, "After watching Victoria and her cub closely on CCTV over the winter, it is very exciting to find out we have a little boy and that he is in good health.

"He is already becoming more confident every day and it is incredible to see him grow and develop.

"In the coming weeks we are going to be asking the public for their help in naming our newest arrival."

New polar bear cub born at Highland Wildlife Park

I'm a real boy: The cub's sex is confirmed at the Highland Wildlife Park

Public viewing is still closed to give Victoria and her youngster lots of peace and quiet.

In a few weeks, the cub will be introduced to his large outdoor enclosure, where the public will be able to try and spot him.

Keith added, "Like all the animals in our care, our polar bears play an important role in attracting and engaging thousands of visitors each year so they can learn about the threats animals face in the wild and the action they can take to help.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.