Meet Luna – Buffalo Zoo’s latest resident

A three-month-old polar bear cub weighing in at 23lbs has made her debut at the Buffalo Zoo in New York state.

The zoo unveiled the cub, one of only two born into captivity in north America last year.

She is being nicknamed Luna until the community votes on a permanent name.

Polar Bear Cub

The zoo hopes that seeing the cub will encourage the western New York community to make their polar pledge to their fundraising campaign, so that they can build the Arctic Edge exhibit and keep the cub in Buffalo.

The cub been hand raised by the zoo’s veterinary technician and keeper staff.

The father was a wild-caught bear called Nanuq, orphaned as a cub in Alaska, who was put in with the mother Anana. She then gave birth in November.

Alice Rohauer, zookeeper, said: ‘She is fun to take care of. She plays a lot more now and she interacts with me a lot more. She plays with toys now, so it’s fun to watch

‘She’s a handful now but it’s fun.

Ms Rohauer joked: ‘She’s really cute right now, when she’s sleeping.’

The Buffalo Zoo has spent the past two years raising over $14million of the $18million needed to build a new entrance and polar bear exhibit.

They are asking residents of western New York and the surrounding community to help raise the remainder.

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