Hm, what did I want to do now? Let me think: eat something, have a drink, wash maybe, swim a few lengths, roll around in the dirt one more time, or play groundhog? I clean forgot.

19 June 2008 – Sometimes, polar bear Flocke has a lop-sided nose. "The muzzle of our six-month-old polar bear cub is getting longer all the time, and so this slight bend is not permanent", said vet Dr. Katrin Baumgartner.

28 May 2008 – On May 28, 2008, the director of the UN Environment Programme, UNEP, Achim Steiner, took on the responsibility of "godfather" to Nuremberg's polar bear Flocke.
Steiner (left) signed the contract with Nuremberg Zoo. At the same time, zoo director, Dr. Dag Enke (right), presented the zoo campaign.

In future, Flocke will have permission to stay out longer in the evenings. Instead, the polar bear cub will take a longer nap at lunchtime. From 14 May, 2008, Flocke may stay out in the open compound for an extra half hour: between 3.30 and 5.30 p.m. instead of between 3.30 to 5 p.m.

Zoo director, Dr. Dag Encke, explains the behaviour guidelines given by the directorate to Flocke's keepers. The aim is to maintain the basic trust the animal has in her surrogate parents, but at the same time to educate her to become independent and reprimanding her for stepping out of line.

Flocke is always curious. Whenever a new object comes into sight, it is examined immediately. First of all sniff the ladder and then have a look to see what else might be done with it. Even though it looks as if there are major construction works going on and Flocke is busy lending a paw: basically the open compound is one big adventure playground for her where she romps around in the mornings and afternoons.

On 9 April, 2008, the time has finally come: visitors to Nuremberg Zoo will be able to watch little Flocke romp about in the outdoor compound. Several measures have been put in place to make sure that visitors will have a smooth journey to the zoo and back and enjoy their stay in Nuremberg.

Current visiting times for Flocke

Visitors have been announced for Wednesday, 9 April. The good little cub has also been given a considerable dose of good advice on proper etiquette from her double set of foster parents. If you have visitors, everything must be spick-and-span! Being well-behaved, Flocke immediately stopped playing and gave them a hand with cleaning. Simply exemplary!

Flocke had her first real outing. She swapped her usual environment for the tiger compound – with the tigers presently relocated to other zoos while their house and compound are being refurbished.

25 March 2008 – From today, Flocke, all black button eyes and large bears' paws, will help advertise the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region on a poster. In the coming weeks, the poster will be displayed at quite a few bus and tram stops all over Nuremberg.