Advertisement

Philadelphia Zoo Welcomes 2 Adorable Sloth Bear Cubs — and Gives Them the Most Perfect Names

The soon-to-be 6-month-olds were named for Philly legends by the public via an online contest

<p>Philadelphia Zoo</p> Philadelphia Zoo sloth bear cubs

Philadelphia Zoo

Philadelphia Zoo sloth bear cubs

As if these sloth bear cubs couldn't get any cuter!

On Monday, the Philadelphia Zoo announced via Today that the public had chosen names for its almost-6-month-old animal brothers, who were born on Jan. 2 and introduced to the world weeks later.

Meet Kelce and Harper, whose names beat out Hall and Oates in a week-long vote on the zoo's website. Both pairs of names nod to Philly history: Kelce and Harper are for sports legends Jason Kelce of the NFL's Eagles and Bryce Harper of the MLB's Phillies, while Daryl Hall and John Oates are the iconic musical duo who got their start in the City of Brotherly Love. According to Today, 16,000 votes were cast, with more than 9,000 going to the winners.

Kelce and Harper were born to parents Kayla and Bhalu, both 10, who are two of the zoo's four adult sloth bears. The babies are the first sloth bears born at the zoo in more than 30 years.


“Their birth is incredibly important to the protection of this species and we are excited for guests to come to the Zoo and see for themselves what amazing animals they are," vice president of animal well-being, Rachel Metz, shared at the time of their arrival. According to the zoo, sloth bears — native to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka — are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are susceptible to habitat loss and poaching, among other human- and weather-related threats.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The twins were just around 1 lb. at birth, and rely on their mom (and zoo staff) for care, as males aren't involved in child-rearing, the zoo explained. The little guys often ride on their mothers' back by clinging to her fur, though can also walk on their own.

If you can't visit the zoo to catch a glimpse of the animals, try to spot them via the zoo's webcam; staff says the best time of day to see them is in the morning.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.