Salisbury Zoo bear cubs now have names: Raymi and Inti

Salisbury Independent
Posted 4/27/22

The Salisbury Zoo’s new baby Andean bears now have names – Raymi and Inti.

Twin sons mother Chaska and father Pinocchio, the cubs were named in the zoo’s tradition of selecting …

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Salisbury Zoo bear cubs now have names: Raymi and Inti

Posted

The Salisbury Zoo’s new baby Andean bears now have names – Raymi and Inti.

Twin sons mother Chaska and father Pinocchio, the cubs were named in the zoo’s tradition of selecting names from the Quechua language.

The Quechua language is used throughout the central Andes Mountains, including Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia, Columbia, Peru and Chile.

The name of their mother, Chaska, means “bright star,” and their brother’s name, Sinchi, means “strong.” Last year, Sinchi was sent to live at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Raymi and Inti were names chosen from an online naming contest held in recent weeks.

The Inti Raymi is a traditional religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti (Quechua for "sun"), the most venerated deity in Inca religion. It was the celebration of the winter solstice and the Inca New Year, when the hours of light would begin to lengthen again. It is held June 24.

During the Inca Empire, the Inti Raymi was the most important of four ceremonies celebrated and took place in the Haukaypata, or the main plaza in the city. The ceremony was also said to symbolize the mythical origin of the Inca people. It lasted for nine days and was filled with colorful dances and processions.

The cubs were born at the zoo on Jan. 16.

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