A polar bear cub has made its first appearance in front of the cameras at a German zoo.

Following in the footsteps of Knut and then Flocke, four-month-old Wilbaer made his debut under the watchful gaze of his mother Corinna.

Stuttgart Zoo kept Wilbaer's birth a secret for more than two months to avoid the media hysteria which followed the arrivals of Germany's other famous polar bear cubs.

Zoo director Dieter Jauch said: "We never wanted a hype. I'm happy if visitors come here to see him.

"I'm also sure that people will come and see him but these mass events possibly harm the animals and in the end also harm the zoo overall."

Zoologist Ulrike Rademacher praised first-time mother Corinna, saying she was "perfect."

"She constantly protects it and keeps an eye on it all the time," she said.

Unlike Wilbaer, Knut and Flocke were rejected by their mothers and raised by hand.

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