Pesim or Nanuq? Weigh in on the names for Winnipeg zoo's polar bear cubs

Whiletwo little white polar bears are settlinginto their new home at Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo, people can weigh in on what the cubs should be named.

The zoo has invited the public to vote on new names for the one-year-old male cub who came to the zoo in December, and the one-year-old female cub who arrived in November, in an online poll.

• Winnipeg zoo's polar bear count rises to 9 with new cub
• Assiniboine Park zoo gets new polar bear cub

"Beary McBearface" won't be an option because the names have already been narrowed down to two options per cub.

• 'Boaty McBoatface' rejected for ship's name

The possible names for the female cub are:

• Pesim (pronounced Pee-sim), the Cree word for "moon."
• Nanuq (pronounced Nan-ook), the Inuit word for "polar bear."

For the male cub, the options are:

• Siku (pronounced See-koo), the Inuit word for "ice."
• Kisik (pronounced Kee-syk), the Cree word for "sky."

Voting will be open until noon on Monday, Jan. 9. The new names will be announced on Jan. 12.

"We are excited to involve the community in the naming of the two cubs,"Assiniboine Park Conservancy's LauraCabak said in a news release.

"It's a great opportunity for the public to get involved and also to remind everyone of the serious impacts of climate change."

The zoo's 10-acre Journey to Churchill exhibit is already home to seven other polar bears Storm, Aurora, Kaska, Blizzard, Star, York and Eli as well as other arctic species in separate enclosures.