The National Zoo’s two Andean bear cub brothers now have names: meet Mayni and Muniri!
A couple of weeks ago, the Zoo announced that they’re putting the naming of the two cubs to vote, with a very public campaign. And now, the two cubs have a name. According to the Zoo, Mayni is “a moniker that in the Aymara language means ‘unique.'” Muniri’s name means “loving” in the Quechua language. Quechua and Aymara are the languages of the indigenous communities in the Andes where the bears originate from.
The cubs were born at the Zoo on November 10th and 11th of last year—the third litter of cubs born at the Zoo in the past five years. Their births are significant as they’re “one of only five surviving litters born in North American Zoos in the past 10 yeas.”
The Zoo says the new cubs have been “acclimating to their yard and the variety of new smells, trees, rocks and other environmental enrichment in their yard.” The public debut for the cubs will be on Saturday at 10 a.m., so long as the weather holds up.