Flocke Gets Russian Comrade

Celebrity polar bear Flocke has a new companion, the AP reports. The Nuremberg Zoo's resident superstar was a little tense upon meeting the unnamed 1-year-old Russian polar bear, but the two soon teamed up for some joyous romping. The new bear arrived from Moscow in late December and will remain in Nuremberg for about a year.

After the Russian bear’s stint, he’s off to a new home in Madrid. Zookeepers said they were pleased with Flocke’s very polar bear-like behavior; she, like Germany’s other star bear Knut, was raised by humans after her mother rejected her. But her quick socialization with the transplant shows she hasn’t lost her ursine essence. (More Flocke stories.)