Churchill polar bear cubs ready to meet public at Assiniboine Park Zoo

Two orphaned polar bear cubs that arrived at Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo last month are ready to meet the public, and the zoo wants you to help name them.

The one-year-old male cubs were relocated from Churchill to Winnipeg in late October and have just finished a standard 30-day quarantine period at the zoo's Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre, officials announced Monday.

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The pair can be seen at the centre's outdoor enclosure between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily.

"We're very pleased with how the new cubs have adapted to life here at the zoo. They're happy, healthy and exploring their new surroundings," zoo curator Janice Martin said in a news release.

"They're certainly enjoying the recent snowfall, so it's the perfect time of year to come and visit them."

The cubs were orphaned when their mother was accidentally killed by a cracker shell 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.

Donate to vote for cubs' names

Starting on Tuesday, anyone who makes a donation to the zoo's Polar Bear Rescue Team can vote for the cubs' names, choosing from these four options:

• York: after the York Factory First Nation, where polar bear denning habitats are found;
• Tatnam: a reference to Cape Tatnam, a cape along the Hudson Bay coast;
• Eli: after a York Factory First Nation elder who has lived and hunted in the area; and
• Aiken: a reference to the river where York Landing sits.

Donations can be made on the zoo's website, by visiting the zoo in person or by calling 204-927-8080.

Voting will run until noon on Dec. 31.