ST PAUL, Minn. — The Como Zoo's resident polar bear is welcoming a new friend just in time for International Polar Bear Day this weekend.
The zoo announced Thursday that Nan, a 26-year-old female polar bear, has arrived behind the scenes after a mandatory quarantine period.
Nan is going to live at Como's Polar Bear Odyssey habitat with Neil, a 25-year-old polar bear. The two are not expected to be a breeding couple, but the zoo says they'll provide each other companionship.
Nan's name is short for the Inupiaq word Nanutaaq, meaning "young of a bear." She was orphaned and found under a home in Barrow, Alaska, then went to Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma Washington for five years. She then lived at the Toledo Zoo for 16 years, before she headed for Chicago for four years.
In January, a Como Friends donor funded her move to St. Paul.
Polar bears have been considered endangered since 2008, mostly due to climate change. Estimates put the number of polar bears in the wild at 22,000 to 31,000. Those numbers are expected to decline by 30% by 2050.
“We are thrilled to welcome Nan to the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory family,” Zoo Director Michelle Furrer said in a news release Thursday. “Nan is an important ambassador for her threatened species. When people see and learn more about polar bears, it brings awareness of their plight in the wild.”
Anyone who wants to meet Nan can see her on Como Live on Thursday. The video will be hosted live on Facebook at 1:30 p.m., then later uploaded to the Como Zoo website.
The Como Zoo is also open for in-person visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. Advance reservations and face masks are required. Reservations and more information are available online.