BERN, SWITZERLAND – A second bear cub born in January at the Dählhölzli zoo in Bern was put to sleep Monday after its mother, Mascha, stopped taking care of her babies.

The father, Misha, had become increasingly aggressive towards his offspring and last week he killed one of them, tossing it in the air.

The parents were brought to Bern as gifts of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in 2009. Both were orphans, young cubs themselves at the time.

A decision had already been made to sterilise the mother next week, so the pair will not be having any more cubs.