Cleveland Bear Cubs Get Named

bear-cubs-110801-02 — (Image credit: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo)

The grizzly bear cubs at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo finally have names. Say hello to Cody and Cooper.

The names Cody and Cooper quickly ran away with the race receiving 23 and 20 percent of the total vote respectively. The poll received 10,469 votes over the 18 days it was posted on clemetzoo.com, and the Zoo thanks everyone who took the time to cast their vote.

Online voters were asked to choose two names from a list of eight suggestions. The names were chosen by the keepers to represent the grizzly bear's historic range in the Montana, Wyoming and Yellowstone areas. Cody received 23 percent, Cooper followed with 20 percent, then Clark and Jackson each with 12 percent, close behind was Lewis with 11 percent, then Hamilton with 8 percent, and Custer and Ronan finished with 7 percent each.

The brother bear cubs are gaining weight and acclimating well to their new home in the Zoo's Northern Trek. The cubs, now about five months old, weigh approximately 50 pounds each and could grow to be up to 900 pounds.

The cubs were orphaned in Montana during the spring. A man looking for shed antlers in the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area near Helena startled the cubs' mother. The man shot the mother grizzly in self-defense and the cubs were taken in by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. After a short stay at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Montana, they arrived in Cleveland on June 2.

Cody (the lighter cub) and Cooper (the darker cub) are on exhibit daily in Northern Trek, next to the polar bear. They are off exhibit every day from 1-2 p.m. for a daily nap time that gives the active cubs a chance to calm down and rest.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with hours extended to 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Admission is $11 per person, $8 for kids ages 2 to 11 and free for children younger than 2 and Zoo members. Parking is free. Located at 3900 Wildlife Way, the Zoo is easily accessible from Interstates 71, 90 and 480.

To learn more, visit clemetzoo.com or call (216) 661-6500.

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