Zookeeper: Polar Bear Cub Will Fare Better Than Knut

Bottle-fed Siku is gaining weight, ‘will grow up in a different environment’

As his more than 1 million YouTube fans can attest, polar bear Siku’s main job these days is to be un-bear-ably adorable as he rolls around on his back, sucks a handler’s finger, and takes long, leisurely naps with his tongue hanging out.

But the little 5-week-old Internet sensation has some serious business in his future — serving as an ambassador-at-large for his wild polar bear brethren, whose population is shrinking right along with the sea ice that provides their hunting grounds. In fact, his name means “sea ice” in the Inuit language Inupiat.

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