ST. LOUIS — If you're heading to the Saint Louis Zoo in the near future, you might see two new additions to the family.

Kallu and Kallik are two-year-old polar bear twins who now live in the Zoo's 40,000-square-foot polar bear habitat, replacing 12-year-old Kali. 

"Kali was orphaned as a cub near the Alaska Native Village of Point Lay where residents rescued him and released him to the care of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 2013. He was named for the Iñupiaq name for Point Lay by the students at Kali School in honor of their community," the Zoo said in a press release. "Following a recommendation by the USFWS, Kali moved to Saint Louis Zoo in 2015 as the first resident of Polar Bear Point."

Kali has been sent to the Toledo Zoo to be paired with the twins' mother, 26-year-old Crystal. The exchange was made to enhance the genetic diversity of the species.

"Kallik and Kallu were born at Toledo Zoo in Nov. 2022 and are named for Indigenous words for Lightning and Thunder. The brothers love to play and spar together during the day and often cuddle side-by-side at night. In Toledo, the twins enjoyed diving into their habitat pool, training with special treats like canned tuna and nori seaweed and playing with enrichment items like giant pickle-shaped pool toys," officials with the Zoo said. "Kallik, the smaller of the two males at 620 lbs., is bolder and quicker to investigate new enrichment and spaces. The meaning of his name, Lightning, fits his tendency to zip around his habitat. Kallu weighs about 740 lbs. and is very food-motivated during training. He is more cautious and tends to let his brother lead when exploring new things."

The twins are expected to make their debut in a few weeks.