Meet Siku, the only Polar Bear cub in an American zoo. "Siku" means “ice” in the Inupiat language, and it was chosen for him by a fourth grader from the North Slope Borough of Alaska. The Toledo Zoo, in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund, Polar Bears International and the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, sponsored a naming contest for children in that area in which they suggested names for the cub. The Zoo’s large mammal keepers chose Siku, and it’s a fitting name for an animal whose wild counterparts depend on ice shelves for hunting.

Photo Credits: Jen Lockridge

Anita and Ivan, resident white-necked cranes at the Toledo Zoo, just gave birth to a healthy little chick. Fiercely protective of their young, the large birds can be a bit daunting to zookeepers.