"The zoo's animal collection is a living organism — new animals come in, and some animals leave the collection," Semjonov said.

"We're very familiar with where [longtime resident polar bear] Friida is going to live, and it's an excellent zoo with great conditions," he noted, referring to the Scandinavian Wildlife Park in Denmark. "This is also a life enrichment for Friida."

The newly arrived polar bear sisters came to Tallinn from Rostock Zoo in Germany. They made the trip in crates facing each other so they could see each other during the journey.

"Transporting bears isn't easy; it still takes three days," the chief veterinarian acknowledged. "But the driver who traveled with them said they behaved very well during the trip, and ate and drank."

Polar bear cubs typically leave their mother at about three years old.

"We can't say they'll remain at our zoo forever," Semjonov said. "The reason there are so many polar bears at our zoo at the moment is that we are starting to choose, and in the future, two or three females will likely go somewhere else, and we will bring a male here."

With Wednesday's new arrivals, Tallinn Zoo is currently home to four young female polar bears.

"Southern European polar bears look different from Northern European polar bears," he noted, adding that their fur isn't as thick.

"Right now, the polar bears are still very white; once they start digging in their territory, they'll briefly turn into brown bears," he joked.

The two new bears were also accompanied from Germany by their caretaker, who will help them adjust to their new home in Tallinn during the first few days.

"If they get along well, we might briefly put them together with the polar bears Inuk and Imaq — who joined us at the end of last year — so they can play together," the chief vet said.

Several zoos in Italy and Central Europe have had to give up keeping polar bears, because thanks to climate change, it has gotten too warm for them.

"The polar bears are here because of Estonia's climate," Semjonov confirmed. "Inuk and Imaq saw snow for the first time in Tallinn."

He confirmed that Tallinn Zoo visitors will see the new polar bear sisters, if not on Thursday, then sometime in the next few days already.

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