His mother, an 11-year-old polar bear named Ayla, and father, a 10-year-old polar bear named Polar, were brought to the zoo from Russia in 2018.
The cub was born healthy and weighed about 500 grams. They named him Akça, which means “silver” in Turkish.
Akcha is now under the supervision of veterinarians and zoo staff. They monitor his health and development.
This is the first time a polar bear has been born in Turkey. This event became a real holiday for the people of the country and drew public attention to the conservation of the polar bear population.
Polar bears are one of the most vulnerable animal species in the world. They are endangered due to climate change which is reducing their natural habitat.
The appearance of Akchi gives hope that the polar bear population can recover.