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At that time still nameless: The two polar bear girls of the Rostock Zoo (archive picture from the end of January)
Photo: Rostock Zoo / dpa
Christening at Rostock Zoo: The polar bear twins, born in mid-November, are called Kaja and Skadi.
The names were announced in the morning on the outdoor area of the so-called polarium.
Kaja means something like the beautiful, or the pure and Skadi is the name of the goddess of hunting and winter, said zoo director Antje Angeli.
Both names therefore have their roots in the Nordic region.
The zoo did not choose the names alone: According to the information, more than 10,000 people took part in an online vote.
From now on, visitors can observe the two polar bear girls together with their mother in the outdoor enclosure.
The prerequisite for this was that the young animals could walk safely, said Angeli.
Even with wild polar bears, the mother stays with her offspring in the birthing cave for about three months after the birth.
As Lord Mayor Claus Ruhe Madsen (independent) said, Kaja and Skadi will not only be ambassadors for an endangered animal species, but also make the Hanseatic city even better known as two real Rostock women.
bbr/dpa