Brumas was born on 29 November 1949. Her mother was named Ivy and her father Mischa. She was the first baby polar bear to be successfully reared in Britain and was an immediate attraction with the public. She caused such interest that, in 1950, the Zoo’s annual attendance figures reached the 3 million mark (around 1 million more than usual at that time). Although Brumas was female, the press had reported that the bear was a ‘he’ and the error was not corrected at the time, so the public thought that the baby was male. Brumas was so popular that newsreels, books, postcards, toys and other souvenirs celebrated her fame.

Learn more about these famous ZSL animals by searching for them in the ZSL Archive catalogue.