Adorable ‘Paddington Bear’ cubs play fight at Chester Zoo after becoming first Andean twins to be born in Britain
- Female Pacha and brother Mateo are the first twin Andean bears born in Britain
- They are the same breed as marmalade-loving Paddington from ‘darkest Peru’
- Mother Lima looked on as the siblings enjoyed their rough-and-tumble play fight
Emerging from their den for the first time, they promptly celebrated by cuffing each other around the ears in a lively play fight.
The same breed as marmalade-loving Paddington, Michael Bond’s character from ‘darkest Peru’, female Pacha and her brother Mateo are the first twin Andean bears born in Britain.
They were born at Chester Zoo in January but only braved the outside to explore their new home on Thursday.
Patcha and Mateo are seen above. Emerging from their den for the first time, they promptly celebrated by cuffing each other around the ears in a lively play fight
Their eight-year-old mother Lima looked on as the siblings enjoyed their rough-and-tumble and raced around their enclosure at the zoo, which has just reopened after lockdown.
There are fewer than 10,000 Andean, or spectacled, bears left in the wild.
Zoo employee Lucy Edwards said: ‘They are incredibly shy so to see Lima allowing her cubs to explore so freely is wonderful.’
Calm down, kids: Mother Lima comforts her cubs. They were born at Chester Zoo in January but only braved the outside to explore their new home on Thursday
Giving paws: Pacha and Mateo enjoy a play fight and explore their enclosure. Their eight-year-old mother Lima looked on as the siblings enjoyed their rough-and-tumble and raced around their enclosure at the zoo, which has just reopened after lockdown
They are the same breed as marmalade-loving Paddington, Michael Bond’s character from ‘darkest Peru’, left. There are fewer than 10,000 Andean, or spectacled, bears left in the wild