Thousands of name proposals went to Berlin's Eisbärbaby - now the name is clear: It's called Hertha.

Yes, just like the football club. But why? Background was that Hertha BSC was selected as a godfather for Eisbärnachwuchs, animal park director Andreas Knieriem announced. "We thought we needed a strong godfather."

Hertha BSC had applied with a video as a godfather for the born on 1 December cub. "Two major Berlin institutions are now working together," said Hertha BSC Managing Director Ingo Schiller. The sponsorship is based on zoo data for two years. The aim is to finance part of the cost of care and to make the general public aware of the endangered situation of polar bears in nature.

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Berliner Eisbärbaby: It's a Hertha!

For the sum of the zoo did not provide information - the sponsorship was not awarded top bidding, said a spokeswoman. Altogether there were more than ten applicants. In addition, polar bear fans sent more than 5300 name suggestions. But there had not been an official appeal.

The nine-year-old polar bear mother Tonja and her offspring can be seen from mid-March on the grounds in the zoo - the eastern counterpart to the zoo in the heart of the city, such as cuddling, climbing and swimming.

At Eisbär Fritz two years ago, the zoo actively promoted suggested names. The situation was different with the famous polar bear Knut in the Berlin Zoo: the name, who then went around the world, should have occurred to zookeeper Thomas Dörflein spontaneously. Knut died of encephalitis at the age of four in 2011, Fritz in 2017 with four months of liver inflammation.

The mortality of Eisbärbabys is also very high in nature. In the beginning they are only as big as guinea pigs, besides blind and deaf.