Brookfield Zoo is hoping their new female polar bear Nan is a match with the suburban Chicago zoo's male polar bear Hudson. The Chicago Zoological Society says Nan arrived earlier this month after spending the last 16 years at the Toledo Zoo in Ohio.
The society runs the zoo and officials are hoping Nan and Hudson will be breeding partners. The pair will have a mesh barrier separating them, allowing them to see, smell and get to know one another. That will last until Feb. 27 or International Polar Bear Day when zoo staffers plan to officially introduce the pair.
Polar bears are listed as a vulnerable species. Experts say the bears are seeing population losses due to the decline of sea ice and other environmental factors.
