Bernardo the spectacled bear meets new female friend at Chester Zoo

A zoo in Cheshire has welcomed Bernardo the bear, who’s arrived from the USA.

The four-year-old spectacled bear has moved into Chester Zoo after flying in from Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma and is being introduced to his new female friend Franka.

It’s rare that zoo animals move between Europe and the USA, so Bernardo’s arrival brings important new blood to the European population of spectacled bears, a species vulnerable to extinction in the wild.

Bernardo’s said to be a very kind and calm young male, and zoo staff are hoping him and Franka will be a match made in heaven, and produce little cubs in the future.

The young bear looks like he’s enjoying spending time exploring his new home, with both he and Franka finding ways of getting to know each other, even if it involves a little bit of rough and tumble.

The zoo is hoping to work closely with Bernardo and learn new things to help ensure the bears’ long-term survival.

Difficult words: spectacled (the animals has markings on the face which look like spectacles or glasses), cub (baby bear), vulnerable (something vulnerable can be hurt easily), rough and tumble (situation without rules).