Help name UK’s polar bear cub

A POLL to name the first polar bear cub born in Britain for 25 years has begun.

The cub was born just before Christmas at Highland Wildlife Park, and a shortlist of names – Artor, Hamish, MacKinnon and Poulsen – has been drawn up by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

Poulsen is in tribute to bear behaviourist Else Poulsen, who worked at the park, while MacKinnon was put forward in memory of a supporter of the society.

Artor is a Pictish name for a bear and a nod to the cub’s father Arktos, and Hamish – the current front-runner – is said to be ‘ideal for a polar bear born in the Highlands’.

The poll is open on the park’s Facebook page until Thursday.