TOLEDO, Ohio — On Friday, the Toledo Zoo announced the genders of twin polar bear cubs: two males were born to 24-year-old Crystal late last year, and now they each need a name.
Toledo Zoo officials have penned five pairs of names for the cubs, who are expected to make their public debut later this spring. They have asked the public to vote for their favorites out of the following options:
- Kenai (Keen-nye) and Keetna (Keet-na)
- Phipps (Fips) and Vassa (Vah-sa)
- Merak (Mare-reck) and Muscida (Mu-see-da)
- Quest and Quartz
- Kallik (Ka-leek) and Kallu (Ka-lu)
To vote for one of the five options, zoo officials said a $1 minimum donation must be made. Voting begins Monday and lasts through Sunday, March 12 at midnight. Per the Toledo Zoo website, results will be shared at a later date.
To vote, click here or text "CUBS" to 419-900-8966.
"We are excited to see what names the public choose for our two cubs," Michael Frushour, curator of mammals for the Toledo Zoo, said in a press release. "Our team loves involving the community as much as possible, and choosing the names for the two newest members of the Toledo Zoo family will play a crucial role in our training and enrichment processes for the bears."
The two cubs were born on November 11, 2022 and are Crystal's eighth and ninth cubs. Nuka, the male polar bear who sired them, was relocated to another zoo in February as a part of an AZA breeding program designed to assist endangered species like polar bears.
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