Frosty relations give Dublin polar bear sore head

Authorities at Dublin Zoo, worried by the erratic behaviour of their female polar bear, have discovered she simply had a bad …

Authorities at Dublin Zoo, worried by the erratic behaviour of their female polar bear, have discovered she simply had a bad case of marital stress.

Experts monitored the behaviour of the bear and her mate and concluded the female's constant, agitated pacing of their shared enclosure was due to the male.

"The report found that the female demonstrated symptoms of stress when she was near the male and to remove this stress a separate area or retreat exclusive to the female polar bear was recommended," Dublin Zoo director Mr Leo Oosterweghel said.

Now the pair, Ootec and Spunky, are to be moved to new accommodation in eastern Hungary where Spunky can chill out in her own exclusive space.

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Mr Oosterweghel said it was not possible to redesign the enclosure at Dublin Zoo to separate the bears, so staff looked at a number of European locations before deciding on Hungary's Sosto Zoo.

"The enclosure in Hungary will allow each polar bear to spend time by themselves if they choose and yet will still allow them to come together when and if they choose," Mr Oosterweghel said, adding that Dublin Zoo would keep tabs on the bears' progress after they move to their new home next week.