Bear Inbreeding Produces Cubs, Germany Blames Russia

Illustration of a polar bear at the Berlin Zoo. (Wikimedia Commons/SuperFLoh)

JAKARTA - The Berlin Zoo was very happy to welcome Hertha, the polar bear cub in 2018, until zoo officials found a surprising thing, she was born through blood relations.

Yes, Hertha's parents, Tonya and Volodya, turned out to be brothers and sisters. A shocking and worrying fact for Hertha's future.

Citing The Moscow Times from Duetsche Welle last May 19, the Berlin Star Gardens blamed Russia for human error in the bear documents, which led to their inbreeding.

"This serious error is a regrettable setback for the careful work being carried out by the European breeding programme," the Berlin Zoo said in a statement.

Initially, Tonya and Volodya were brought to Berlin from Russia in 2013, as part of the European Polar Bear Population Programme.

The confusion wasn't revealed until last year, when the coordinator of the Russian program, Moscow Zoo biologist Marina Galshchuk, noticed an inconsistency in the bear documents.

Further investigation revealed that Tonya had mixed with another female polar bear born around the same time. Genetic analysis confirmed that he and Volodya were indeed siblings.

"If we had known about the relationship between Tonya and Volodya, we certainly would not have recommended two polar bears for breeding. That was a mistake," Galshchuk was quoted as saying in a Berlin Zoo statement.

Tonya has now been banned from reproducing, as her genetic lineage is well represented in conservation programs, while Volodya continues to spread her genetic material in the Netherlands.

Andreas Knieriem, director of Tierpark Berlin said there was no ill will towards Moscow for the mistake. According to him, the staff of the Moscow Zoo has been completely transparent.

And, apart from inbreeding, Hertha's health is not at risk, experts say. However, he may need bear counseling in the future when he learns that his parents are siblings.