Two young polar bears from the Denver Zoo are moving to northern latitudes.
Koda and Nuka, two popular 1-year-old cubs, will be transferred to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium in mid-May as part of a species survival breeding program.
“It’s a computerized dating service for animals,” said Tiffany Barnhart, spokeswoman for the zoo.
Zoo visitors have been watching the playful cubs since they were born in November 2004, first on video monitors when they were in closed-off maternity dens, Barnhart said.
They can now be seen swimming in the refreshing pools and chasing each other in the main exhibit, where they have been since they first were introduced to the public late March 2005, she added.
“I think they are most popular animals on exhibit, in general,” Barnhart said. “Ever since Klondike and Snow, polar bears have been really popular in Denver.
There are a total of 6 bears currently at the zoo.
