PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Zoo is holding a contest to name the two baby sloth bears born there earlier this year. The cubs were introduced to the public on Tuesday afternoon.
Mama bear Kayla peeked her head out first, went back inside, and then a few minutes later she came back to explore with her twin baby boys in tow.
The cute factor had the crowd completely charmed.
“They’re really cute,” sais 7-year-old Ginelle from Glenside Elementary School.
The birth of the sloth bears was important, said Rachel Metz, the Zoo’s vice president of animal well-being. She says the species is considered threatened in the wild.
“Their populations in the wild are decreasing dramatically — and primarily due to habitat loss, poaching and human wildlife conflict. Proudly, the Philadelphia Zoo works with institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. And we work together on species survival plans. The goal of these plans is to manage populations of threatened and endangered species to maximize their genetic diversity and to protect them from extinction.”
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The Zoo is holding a contest to name the cubs. The public can pick from two sets of preselected names.
Option 1: Kelce and Harper — for Philly sports legends Jason Kelce of the Eagles and Bryce Harper of the Phillies.
Option 2: Hall and Oates — for Philly’s iconic pop rock duo.
More information on the contest can be found at PhiladelphiaZoo.org.
