So, Nuremberg Zoo has caved in and decided to hand-rear a polar bear cub that has been neglected by its mother, Vera. “The safety of the young animal is the first priority,” says deputy zoo director Helmut Maegdefrau.

This somehow doesn’t ring true. Originally, the zoo was going to let the cub starve to death. The change of heart appears to stem from the fact that the cub is now in danger of being cannibalised, possibly by the other female, Vilma, thought to have eaten her own two cubs because they were sick. The zoo’s U-turn may also have something to do with the public condemnation it attracted for its refusal to intervene.

In fact, the decision not to step in was rational and in keeping with modern theories about raising wild animals in captivity. Early intervention can leave human scent on cubs and lead to maternal rejection. The death of a first litter – a female polar bear has about five litters during her lifetime – can also be a valuable parenting lesson, particularly for solitary animals such as polar bears, which cannot learn from other adults. According to Anna Plumb, from the British and Irish Association for Zoos and Aquaria, it is not uncommon for big cats to see their first litters die and subsequent litters flourish.

The human rearing of captive animals is frowned upon because it can cause behavioural and breeding problems. The primary purpose of zoos nowadays is to educate the public and to breed an “assurance population” – a buffer against extinction. A humanised cub fulfils neither purpose. Saving a cub might appease a baying public, but ultimately it deceives them as to what conservation is about.

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