Como Zoo Welcomes Nan, A 26-Year-Old Polar Bear

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Como Zoo has a new resident that doesn't mind Minnesota's spells of arctic cold. She's a 26-year-old polar bear named Nan.

The St. Paul zoo announced Thursday that it's been slowly introducing Nan to its Polar Bear Odyssey habitat, where Nan will be living with a 25-year-old bear named Neil. While the two won't be a mating couple, they will provide each other with companionship, zoo officials say.

Zoo-goers will be able to see Nan on Thursday. Additionally, the zoo will feature Nan on their 1:30 p.m. "Como Live" Facebook show.

The name Nan is short for the Inupiaq word Nanutaaq, which means young of a bear, zoo officials say. Nan was orphaned and discovered under a home in extreme northern Alaska.

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Too young to survive on her own, Nan was brought to Point Defiance Zoo in Washington, where she lived for five years. She then spent 16 years at the Toledo Zoo and four years at Chicago's Brookfield Zoo.

She was brought to Como Zoo following a donation in January that allowed zookeepers to travel to Chicago and transfer Nan. The move was recommended by two advisory groups, zoo officials say.

"We are thrilled to welcome Nan to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory family," said director Michelle Furrer, in a statement. "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."

Polar bears became the first species to be listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened primarily by climate change.

Experts estimate that there are between 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears in the wild. Those numbers are expected to drop 30% by 2050.

Animal sponsorships can help Como Park Zoo & Conservatory with its wildlife conservation efforts. To purchase one, visit Garden Safari Gifts at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, call 651-487-8229 or go online.