VIDEO: The Toronto Zoo’s new polar bear is approaching peak cuteness

VIDEO: The Toronto Zoo’s new polar bear is approaching peak cuteness

There’s a magical time in the months after a polar bear is born when it’s too tiny to maul anyone, and yet also large and furry enough that it’s recognizably a bear. We saw Hudson, the Toronto Zoo‘s previous polar bear cub, go through all the phases in 2012 before he was shipped off to a zoo in Winnipeg. And now, at last, we have a brand-new puppy-sized ursine friend starring in all kinds of heart-meltingly adorable YouTube videos (see above).

The little guy was born to Aurora, another zoo bear, on November 9, along with two other male cubs, both of whom died within 48 hours. The as-yet-unnamed survivor has been living in the zoo’s intensive care unit for the past month, where staff have been bottle-feeding him and, if the video is any indication, tickling his belly. The Sun reports that zoo staff believe the little bear is doing well. His eyes should open within a few weeks, though it will be at least four more months before he’s moved out of the neonatal unit.

In the meantime, more pictures and videos are available here.