Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is celebrating birthdays of three polar bear cubs this month, and today is Amelia Gray's first birthday.
First-time mother, Anana, gave birth to her female cub on Nov. 8, 2016.
Now at a year old, the cub weighs 289 pounds. On Mother’s Day 2017, the cub received the name “Amelia Gray” after a public naming opportunity.
The name Amelia means “defender,” which represents that she is a conservation protector for her species. She also has a distinct patch of gray fur on the left side of her neck. Ever active, Amelia loves to swim and play with her mother.
Anana’s own twin, Aurora, welcomed her cubs on Nov. 14. Aurora’s twins — female, Neva and male, Nuniq — were named through one of the many employee initiatives raising funds for conservation, resulting in several thousand dollars being raised to benefit wildlife around the world. Two employees from the Zoo’s North America team were awarded the opportunity to name the twins: Neva, which means “white snow” (and is also a river in Russia), and Nuniq, which is a derivative of Nanuq, all three cubs’ late father. Neva now weighs 245 pounds while her brother tops the scale at 385 pounds.
Honoring these births is very special as the cubs were the only three polar bears born in a North American zoological facility in 2016. The breeding of Anana and Aurora with male, Nanuq, was based on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Pla for threatened and endangered species.
Polar bear populations are declining due to the disappearance of sea ice, and experts estimate that only 20,000-25,000 polar bears are left in their native range. Some scientists believe if the warming trend continues, two-thirds of the polar bear population could disappear by the year 2050.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is committed to protecting the future of polar bears. Since 2008, the Zoo has contributed more than $250,000 to research benefiting polar bears in the Arctic. The Zoo is also designated as an Arctic Ambassador Center by Polar Bears International.
