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Cute polar bear cub Nora charms animal lovers, raises awareness of sea-ice loss

An adorable polar bear cub is drawing attention to a serious problem by warming hearts on the Internet.

On Friday, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell, Ohio, shared video highlights of her first 83 days of her life at the zoo – eating, sleeping, playing and cuddling with her own stuffed teddy bear. Staff also revealed her name: Nora.

“Everyone here is very excited not only about the birth of Nora but now that she has a name. All of the names that were up for a vote were chosen by zoo staff, and then we left it to the rest of the world to help us name her,” Carrie Pratt, curator of the zoo’s North America and Polar Frontier regions, said in an interview with Yahoo News.

Nora is a blend of her parents’ names: Nanuq and Aurora. The other options were Kaya, Sakari and Desna.

Polls for the public vote were open from Jan. 19 through Feb. 3. The Columbus Zoo received more 88,000 votes from fans in 115 countries. The top five countries in terms of participation were the United States, France, Brazil, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium revealed the new name of its now famous 3-month-old polar bear cub: Nora.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium revealed the new name of its now famous 3-month-old polar bear cub: Nora.

“We are thrilled and inspired that so many people around the world helped name this young polar bear,” Tom Stalf, president and CEO of the Columbus Zoo, said in a press release. “We hope that those who have been watching Nora grow will continue to do so throughout her life, and remember that we all have a role to play in protecting wild polar bears for generations to come.”

Nora was born on Nov. 6, 2015, so she is nearly three months old. About a week after her birth, her mother, Aurora, started taking breaks from caring for Nora, so zoo staff decided to remove her from the den and hand-rear her.

But the Columbus Zoo, which has been designated an Arctic Ambassador Center by Polar Bears International, is not caring for Nora and other polar bears simply because they are adorable — the existence of the species is under threat.

Nora is attracting attention not only to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, but to the dangers of global warming.
Nora is attracting attention not only to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, but to the dangers of global warming.

“Polar bears in the wild are threatened due to climate change and the changing environment where they live,” Pratt said. “That the permanent sea ice is declining affects hunting opportunities. Without the food resources available, females can’t put on the weight necessary to sustain a pregnancy.”

Some scientists estimate that two-thirds of the current polar bear population could disappear by 2050 if climate change trends continue as expected. And there are only 20,000-25,000 polar bears estimated in the wild.

Pratt added, “We’re fortunate that Nora can act as an ambassador and shine a light on her wild counterparts.”