Zoo announces birth of polar bear cub

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) - February 28, 2008

Stuttgart's Wilhelma zoo announced Thursday that one of its polar bears gave birth to a male cub on Dec. 10 - Germany's latest high-profile bear arrival, following Berlin zoo star Knut and Nuremberg celebrity Flocke.

But little Wilbaer has an advantage over his famous counterparts: his mother, Corinna, hasn't abandoned him.

"Corinna is taking exemplary care of her offspring," zoo director Dieter Jauch said.

Jauch pointed to the media frenzy that surrounded Knut last year as the reason the zoo so far kept Wilbaer's birth under wraps. "We are not out for the big money," he said.

However, he added that the zoo has had his name - a combination of the zoo's name and the German for bear, "Baer" - registered as a trademark.

Jauch said the cub now weighs more than 13 pounds. For now, though, Wilbaer is being kept out of public view - and he is not expected to be on view in the polar bear enclosure until May.

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