The North Carolina Zoo says it has adopted a mother polar bear living in the wild in Canada and is inviting the public to help name her.
The zoo in Asheboro says the bear is currently living with her two cubs — a boy and a girl — in the western Hudson Bay area of Canada. The adoption was done through a program with conservation group Polar Bears International.
According to the zoo, the bear will not be brought to North Carolina. Instead, the public has the opportunity to track the bear as she continues her life in the wild. The zoo partners with PBI every fall to track the movements of up to 10 female polar bears through GPS collars placed on the animals that last for one year. The collars are set to drop off automatically at a predetermined date. The public can follow the bear’s movements on the Polar Bear Tracker.
The bear still needs a name, so the zoo is asking the public to vote on one of five possibilities: Yura (Inuit for “One who is beautiful”), Sakari (Native American for “Sweet”), Tapessa (Inuit for “Arctic Flower”), Carolina and Hope. Polls are open through Monday and you can vote here.
The zoo is also home to a breeding pair of polar bears: a female named Anana and a male named Nikita.
