They can bear-ly contain their cuteness.
Three, rare Andean bear cubs have made their big debut at the Queens Zoo, the first births of their kind in a year.
The five-month old cubs, who were born on Jan. 3, include two brothers and one sister who are now frolicking at the zoo with their mother, officials announced Monday.
“Since birth, they have been cared for by their mother in the birthing den, and the cubs have now reached the age when they are able to venture outdoors,” the Queens Zoo said in a statement.
The triplets represent a rarity of their kind, as Andean mothers tend to have only one or two cubs at a time.
With less than 18,000 Andean bears in the world, the Queens Zoo breeds the bears to help diversify their gene pool, with eight cubs born in the zoo since 1995.
Only 33 Andean bears are officially accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, who noted that the Queens cubs are the only three in the AZA population born in the past 12 months.
Although the cubs are now small and cute, they can grow to five to six feet long once they reach adulthood.
Male adults tend to reach up to 340 pounds, with females typically weighing around 200 pounds.
The bears are distinguished by their cream-colored markings around their eyes, muzzles and chest, and by the fact that they are arboreal animals, meaning they nest in trees rather than caves.
When the Queens triplets reach adulthood, they will be exchanged to other zoos in the US to help promote their population.
Last year, a fellow Andean bear and Queens Zoo alumnus, Ben, caused headaches for the Saint Louis Zoo, in Missouri, when he escaped from his habitat twice in one month.
