Sturgeon urged to stop polar bear breeding plan

Nicola Sturgeon has been asked to intervene to stop zoo chiefs from embarking on a controversial polar bear breeding programme.

It comes as Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) hatch ambitious plans for two cubs to be born in captivity in Scotland in the next year a panda and a polar bear.

Edinburgh Zoo artificially inseminated female panda Tian Tian, for the third year in a row, it announced last week.

Meanwhile, the zoo’s sister organisation, the Highland Wildlife Park in Aviemore, shipped in the UK’s only female polar bear, Victoria, days earlier. The park currently homes two male polar bears, Walker and Arktos, and RZSS bosses hope Victoria will mate with Arktos to produce a cub.

It would be the first polar bear born in captivity in the UK since 1992.

But animal rights campaigners are furious after they believed they had fought a successful campaign to halt them being bred in captivity.

A decade ago a charity revealed 17 out of 19 cubs bred in Edinburgh zoo had died within a few days of their birth.

Only two cubs reared there survived to adulthood. Both died prematurely, they claimed. The public backlash resulted in Edinburgh Zoo’s only polar bear a female named Mercedes being moved to Aviemore.

And, while campaigners say the park is suitable for captive bears, they argue it is unsuitable for breeding.

Glasgow-based Animal Concern has asked the First Minister to change the law to stop a polar bear breeding programme.

The organisation’s John Robins said: “Commercialism has taken over. Polar bears should not be bred in captivity. We need a change in the law to end the dangerous and cruel commercial exploitation.”

Zoo chiefs say they hope to mate her with Arktos instead of Walker because they are more genetically suitable.

Last night park bosses claimed the potential breeding was not being driven by commercial reasons.

Douglas Richardson, of the Highland Wildlife Park, said: “It is important to understand that modern polar bear husbandry has moved on dramatically and enclosures are not what they were even up to 10 years ago.”

The Scottish Government confirmed they had received a letter.