Polar bear cubs at Assiniboine Park Zoo named York and Eli
Orphaned cubs were relocated to Winnipeg zoo in late October
The newest polar bear arrivals at Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo now have names.
The one-year-old male orphaned cubs from northern Manitoba had their names — York and Eli — selected by visitors who voted in the zoo's Donate to Vote campaign in December, officials announced Wednesday.
The name "York" is derived from the York Factory First Nation in northern Manitoba, where polar bear denning habitats are found, while "Eli" is named after a York Factory First Nation elder who has lived and hunted in the area.
Visitors can find Eli and York in the Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre daily during regular zoo hours.
- Orphaned polar bear cubs from Churchill arrive at zoo
- Churchill polar bear cubs ready to meet public at Assiniboine Park Zoo
The cubs arrived at the zoo in late October, after their mother was accidentally killed by a cracker shell that was fired by a Churchill resident who wanted to scare her away from a building.
The shell struck the mother, causing significant blood loss, according to Manitoba Conservation, which decided the cubs should be moved to Winnipeg.
A total of 579 votes were cast through the Donate to Vote campaign, which raised more than $18,000 toward the zoo's polar bear rescue and care programs.
Voters had to donate to the Polar Bear Rescue Team before they could choose from four names. The other two names were Tatnum and Aiken.
"We're absolutely thrilled with the results of this campaign and the names that have been selected for the cubs," Gary Lunsford, the zoo's head of zoological operations, said in a news release.
"It's wonderful that so many people from the community were involved in selecting their names and made donations that support our ongoing polar bear rescue and conservation efforts."