Is it Nick & Simon or Nicky & Simone after all?
Doubts have arisen at Eindhoven Zoo in Nuenen about the gender of polar bear twins Nick & Simon. Could it be 'Nicky & Simone' after all? The Brabant Zoo is now calling on the help of visitors to answer that question.
During the sexing in February, Nick & Simon's 'private parts' turned out to be identical. The polar bear brothers, born in November, did not really cooperate with the veterinarian's examination (as could be seen last weekend in the docusoap 'Komt een aap bij de dokter' on Omroep Brabant). It was difficult to determine, but Eindhoven Zoo assumed after the quick scan that there were two boys.
Small-shouldered?
By now it is clear to the keepers and veterinarian that Nick & Simon are either very small or - and that is more likely - that we are really dealing with two polar bear sisters. Nicky & Simone!
Girls = better news
Eindhoven Zoo was very happy with the birth of the two polar bear boys and the associated names of the famous singing duo from Volendam. But should it eventually turn out to be two girls, Eindhoven Zoo would be even happier. That would be even better news for the European breeding program in which the park participates.
Comparative merchandise research
Because the polar bears are now too big and strong to get close to, Eindhoven Zoo is now looking for new methods to determine the sex more closely. The keepers observe the twins regularly. Visitors are also urged to watch with them to discover whether they are boys or girls while playing, running and urinating. Request to the public is also to post film and photo material of this "comparative commodity research" on theEindhoven Zoo Facebook page so that those images can also be studied.