WINNIPEG — Today is the final day to vote on a name for an orphaned polar bear cub at Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo. Zoo spokeswoman Lindsay Hughes says voters have until midnight to select in an online poll whether the 10-month-old cub should be called Duke, Marly, Fletcher or Mantayo. Hughes says all the names are related to a place in Churchill, Man., where the cub arrived to the zoo from in August after his mother’s death. Duke and Marly, for example, are derived from a local school in Churchill. Hughes says the cub has been steadily adjusting to his new home and can often be seen going for a swim or rolling around. His caretakers describe him as spunky and mischievous, and he’s among seven polar bears at the zoo. “Our hope is that when people come to us and visit the polar bear that they come to love these animals and are inspired to protect them and to protect the Arctic,” Hughes said Tuesday. “We want people to protect the environment.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2026. The Canadian Press
