Star Wars-inspired names given to Calgary Zoo marmot pups

Taking inspirationfrom a galaxy far, far away, the Calgary Zoo is handing out Star Wars names to some of itsnew marmot pups many of whichwillbe released into the wild in the next year.

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"The pups are very valuable as the species is listed as endangered and considered one of the rarest mammals in the world," said the zoo in a release about the Vancouver Island marmotpupscomprised of four females and 10 males from differentlitters.

Vancouver Island marmotshave been part of the zoo's captive breeding program since 1998. In partnership with several other organizations, including the Marmot Recovery Foundation, the zoo has been working to rebuild the force.

They are now awakening to the light side of life, with help from their new names that includeLuke, Leia, Han Solo, Jabba and Yoda.

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"The animal care team at the zoo's Wildlife Conservation Centre had some fun with the naming of the pups, keeping the Star Wars movie release in mind," the zoo said in a release.

The zoo saysthe best estimate is there are roughly300 marmots in the wildan increase from a mere 30 at one time.