Qld: Polar bear cubs stalk their captors

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2001
Qld: Polar bear cubs stalk their captors

Polar bear cubs LIA and LUTIK are trying to pounce on people through the thick glass
windows at their new home at Sea World on the Gold Coast.

Today one-year-old female cub LIA leaped at a Sea World employee who had crouched down
to take a photograph -- luckily on the other side of the glass.

Sea World says the cubs are demonstrating instinctive attack behaviour during visits
to the new polar bear shores enclosure, where they'll go on show to the public later this
month.

Head polar bear keeper KERRIE HAYNES-LOVELL says LIA seems to select people to go after,
stopping in mid stride, getting down low and jumping at people.

She says the polar bear siblings, who arrived from a Russian zoo last month, are being
allowed out of quarantine for a few hours to get used to the deep pools, waterfalls and
manmade cliffs in their $7 million exclosure.

AAP RTV dp/jhm/tb/rp

KEYWORD: POLAR (GOLD COAST)

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