Brrrrr others! Toledo Zoo Finally Reveals the Sex of 23-Year-Old Crystal’s Polar Bear Twins as Part of a Breeding Program
- In a post Friday, Ohio’s Toledo Zoo announced that the cubs were both males
- The cubs’ father is used in the video to reveal their gender
The Toledo Zoo has finally revealed the genders of the polar bear twins born to Crystal in late 2022 as part of a breeding program.
In a Facebook post Friday, Ohio’s Toledo Zoo announced that the cubs were both males.
The zoo wrote: ‘Brrrrrrrnews!!! Before Nuka’s departure, he helped reveal the sexes of the cubs with an enrichment activity from our caretakers. The cubs need names, so stay tuned for their name contest!’
The cubs were born to 23-year-old polar bear Crystal as part of a breeding program.
Those involved had hoped for one cub, but they got two.
The male polar bear who fathered the twins, Nuka, 17, originally from the Detroit Zoo, was moved to another zoo in late February as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan.
The two cubs are Crystal’s eighth and ninth. They are expected to appear for zoo visitors later this spring
In the video to reveal the cubs’ sex, a soaking wet Nuka approaches a bathtub with “Boy” and “Girl” written on it.
He takes the tubs into the water and holds it with his jaws.
Two blue objects fall out of the container, indicating that the cubs are two boys.
The two are then seen playing with each other under the care of their mother.
The smaller cub weighed 14 pounds, while the larger one was 19 pounds.
In the photo: crystal. The zoo is holding a naming contest for the two cubs
In the video, Michael Frushour, the zoo’s mammal curator, said of the gender test, “It’s a very quick exam. We’re more or less getting our hands on them. Get a quick vet checkup at the vet. He will sex check them to find out their gender. Then we’ll give them back to Mom as soon as possible.’
He said once they “get easier on their feet,” they’ll go to the pool “to see water for the first time” and take a dip in it.
The two cubs are Crystal’s eighth and ninth.
They are expected to appear for zoo visitors later this spring.
The zoo is holding a naming contest for the two cubs.
Earlier this year, zoo officials had asked community members to guess the sex of the cubs.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, it was revealed that of the 2,978 votes, 17 percent were expecting twins, 71 percent suspected a boy and a girl, and 12 percent suspected the cubs were twin boys.
