Associated Press
STOCKHOLM, Sweden — A hibernating bear named Saga and her cubs are spending the long Scandinavian winter isolated in their den, blissfully unaware that the whole world could be watching.
A bear park in Orsa, 170 miles northwest of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, has installed a Web cam in the artificial den, capturing their every move — which are few and far between — and broadcasting it on the Internet.
Patient observers can soon expect to see one of Saga’s newborn cubs pop up in the picture, park manager Mikael Ahlerup said.
"We don’t know how many there are," he said. "We’ve only heard them squeaking."
The cubs are hiding in their mother’s fur to keep warm and will not come out for a few more weeks, bear expert Sven Brunberg said. The bears will be left alone until they emerge from the den sometime in April, he added.
During hibernation, a bear’s body temperature drops by three to four degrees and the heart rate falls from 40 to 10 beats per minute. Female bears give birth to and suckle their cubs without waking up.
On the Net:
www.orsa-gronklitt.se/index.php?page=bjornwebcam&lang=en
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