Brookfield Zoo welcoming new polar bear this fall

CBS News Live

A new polar bear is coming to Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo. 

The zoo is welcoming 8-year-old Amelia Gray, coming from Oregon. She will join the polar bears Hope and Hudson later this fall. 

“We look forward to welcoming Amelia Gray to Brookfield Zoo Chicago, as her arrival is a powerful opportunity to educate the community of the critical need to protect this vulnerable species,” said Mark Wanner, associate vice president of animal care and conservation at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. 

Portrait of polar bear Amelia Gray. © Oregon Zoo / photo by Michael Durham.

Zoo officials said polar bears were the first species to be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They said this was primarily due to climate change.

Elyssa Kaufman

Elyssa is a digital news producer for CBS Chicago. She covers breaking news and manages the station’s social media presence.