Luke, Leia, and Yoda among marmot pups born at the Calgary Zoo

CALGARY – The recent release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is being cited as the inspiration behind the names chosen for several Vancouver Island marmot pups born at the Calgary Zoo.

According to the zoo, 14 pups were born at their facility during the 2015 breeding season.

Among the names chosen for the pups were Luke and Leia, Han Solo, Jabba, Yoda.

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There were four females and 10 males from a total of four litters.

“The pups are very valuable as the species is listed as endangered and considered one of the rarest mammals in the world,” said the Calgary Zoo in a Monday news release.

“The Calgary Zoo currently holds two-thirds of the captive population of marmots and this has been an excellent year for us with a healthy population of new pups that will bolster the wild population,” added Senior Veterinarian Dr. Doug Whiteside.

Thirteen of the 14 pups are tentatively scheduled for release into the wild next year.