The winner of the contest, Kathy Beetz of Sycamore, Illinois, stated that the cub should share the name with Henry Hudson, the English explorer for which Hudson Bay is named. She went on to say that Hudson Bay is part of the polar bears’ range, which is being affected by a pressing environmental dilemma: global warming. CZS staff hope the bear’s name will bring attention to this potentially devastating trend, which researchers fear could lead to extinction of the species by the end of this century.
In Canada’s Hudson Bay, the ice that polar bears use to hunt seals—the mainstay of their diet—is melting two weeks earlier than it did 20 years ago, which means they have less time to hunt and store up needed fat. This is a particularly serious problem for the females because they use so much energy to nurse their cubs. Scientists report that there has been a 7 percent reduction in ice cover in just 25 years and a 40 percent loss of ice thickness. They predict that there will be a mostly ice-free Arctic summer by 2080 if present trends continue.
Hudson is His Name
After receiving and reviewing nearly 5,000 name suggestions for the male polar bear cub at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) staff have selected a name: Hudson.
It is estimated that between 22,000 and 25,000 polar bears live in the wild, although exact numbers are not known in their natural habitat of the circumpolar Arctic: U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway. In February 2005, several conservation organizations petitioned the U.S. Department of the Interior to list polar bears on the “threatened” species list of the Endangered Species Act. In late 2006, the Secretary of the Interior announced that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service would be gathering additional information and scientific data during the next 12 months before making its final decision whether to list the species on the threatened list.
The cub, who now weighs just over 70 pounds, can be seen daily with his mom, Arki. Over the past several weeks, zookeepers have been slowly adding water to the bears’ pool. By early June, they hope to have it all the way filled so Arki can begin to teach Hudson how to swim.
Several entrants chose the name Hudson for the same reason. To determine a winner, an electronic random drawing was conducted. As winner of the Polar Bear Naming Contest, Beetz receives a Family Plus membership to Brookfield Zoo, a polar bear cub Share the Care package, and lunch with the bear zookeepers for herself and four additional guests.
Looking for a gift that people can't BEAR to be without?
Purchase a Share the Care package online and help the zoo care for Hudson Polar Bear. Get a personalized certificate, animal photo, and more---just for showing you care.
