Adorable baby black bear cubs make first appearance at Woburn Safari Park

The four babies have emerged from their den and are "taking tentative steps" to discover the outside world.

The cubs were born to mother Phoenix and father Xanthos on January 15, with their birth uniquely caught live on CCTV.

Since then they have been "finding their feet" and bonding with one another inside a secluded den, away from the public eye.

However, with the weather warming up, the "excitable quadruplets" are beginning to independently explore.

Chelsea, carnivores keeper at Woburn Safari Park, said: "Phoenix is an experienced mother and as always she is doing a fantastic job of caring for her new cubs.

"All four of the new arrivals seem to be thriving and they’re definitely full of energy, so it looks like they’ll be keeping Phoenix busy for the next few months.

"In time, they will meet the rest of the bears and their father Xanthos.”

Phoenix and her cubs are currently living separately from the other bears at the park, to allow the cubs to grow in strength and confidence.

However, lucky visitors might spot a glimpse of them as they run, play and explore their woodland home.

Keepers have already seen them testing out their climbing skills on the trees in their side pen and playing with one another, before enjoying a well-deserved nap.

Chelsea added: "Now that they’re beginning to venture out of the den more, we are all excited to watch their personalities begin to show."

Their mother, Phoenix, is being fed with plenty of extra fish, fruit, and protein to help her maintain her strength while she is feeding her adorable new additions.

The four youngest arrivals are siblings to the park’s juvenile bears, Georgia and Koda, who were born in 2020.

As keepers are operating a hands-off approach to the new cubs, allowing Phoenix to care for them just as she would in the wild, the four youngsters have not yet been sexed or named.

To find out more about Woburn Safari Park, click here