Berlin Zoo releases first pictures of polar bear cub

Berlin Zoo released the first footage of its newest arrival - a six-day-old polar bear cub.

The video shows the tiny cub snuggling up in its mother, Tonja's, fur.

Mum Tonja gave birth to her cub, who has not yet been named, on December 1.

Tonja and her cub will not leave their enclosure until spring when they will be seen in public.

The guinea pig-sized cub is still blind and deaf, but already has a healthy appetite, eating every two hours.

The Zoo said they were "very satisfied" with the cub's development.

Thanks to new camera technology, the experts at Tierpark Berlin are able to follow the events in the bear's litter cave around the clock.

The mortality rate of young polar bears is particularly high. In the natural habitat, about 85% of polar bears do not make it past their second birthday.

Since absolute rest for the mother and baby is key to successfully rearing the newborn, the bears will be left alone in the coming weeks.