Photo Gallery Knut Gets Some Competition
Knut, the celebrity polar bear, has some competition in the cuteness stakes. Three baby bears have arrived at the Poing wildlife park near Munich with their mother Mia.
The furry triplets were born in Sweden on December 28, 2006 and arrived at the Poing park at the end of March.
Molly, Mette and Maja follow their mother in the animal enclosure. This bear family is unusually big. It is rare for even one bear cub to survive in a litter.
The director, Josef Fetl, said the cubs were "as fit as a fiddle, running around quite happily."
"The special thing about this enclosure," Fetl said, "is the area: a lake, a forest, two creeks running right through. It is every bear's dream."
Molly, Mette and Maja romp around in their enclosure.
The little bears explore their new home.
Despite the undeniable cuteness of the three fluffballs, Fetl doesn't want to see the same kind of attention that Knut has attracted in Berlin. "We do not really want a rush of vistors here," he said. "We absolutely don't want this to get out of hand ... we don't want chaos like Berlin."
The bears may well be as famous as Knut one day.
The enclosure had originally been intended for another furry star. It had been reserved for Bruno the renegade bear, who ran around Bavaria last summer, eating sheep and chickens, before being shot dead.
See also:
Knut Gets a Bad Toothache
Knut Makes His Public Debut
