It was, after days of frenzied anticipation, something of an anticlimax. A polar bear cub that has become Germany’s latest furry celebrity was named officially yesterday as Flocke, or Snowflake – the moniker originally given to her by her handlers.

Nuremberg Zoo, which has been hand-rearing the animal, was so overwhelmed with suggested names for the animal that in the end it opted to ignore them all and stick to its original choice. Announcing the decision at a packed news conference – broadcast live on television – Ulrich Maly, the mayor of the city, said that more than 50,000 names had been sent in e-mails, postcards and letters from across the world in response to a plea for suggestions.

Keepers took Flocke away from her mother, Vera, last week after she grew restless and kept dropping the five-week-old cub on the hard rock floor of her enclosure. Already under fire after another of its polar bears ate her own two cubs days before, the zoo did not want to risk a third death.

Suggested names for the bear included Stella, Knutschi, Sissi and Yuki Chan, in addition to a full range of German girls’ given-names. Paula was among the most popular, according to one opinion poll. Flocke had been among the most popular names sent in, especially from people living in and around Nuremberg, a spokesman for the town hall said.

“The fact that her keepers called her that from Day 1 was an important factor in the decision,” Siegfried Zelnhefer told The Times. “We’re already getting e-mails from the United States and elsewhere asking how Flocke is pronounced.” It is pronounced like Fokker with an L.

“We’re overwhelmed by the response. The pictures of the Nuremberg polar bear baby went around the world and touched people’s hearts,” Mr Maly said.

The response suggests that Flocke will be as famous as Knut, the polar bear successfully hand-reared in Berlin Zoo, which is providing Nuremberg with advice on what to feed her – maize syrup mixed with dog puppy milk. The zoo vet, Bernhard Neurohr, said that the mixture seemed to be working a little too well because Flocke had almost doubled in weight in just over a week, to 3kg (7lb). “We don’t want her to go up like yeast dough,” Dr Neurohr said.

When Nuremberg’s two polar bear females gave birth to cubs last month, zoo officials said initially that they were determined to avoid “Knutomania” and were prepared to let the cubs die rather than interfere with their upbringing. The public outrage at the death of two cubs last week prompted a swift change of heart, and the city has already secured branding rights to the name “Flocke”.

The city is designing a logo and has asked companies to send in merchandising suggestions. It has even compiled a list of possible merchandising products including keyrings, umbrellas, clothing and sweets.

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