World’s oldest captive polar bear is dead

A female polar bear named Coldilocks plays with a container at the Philadelphia Zoo in Philadelphia. Coldilocks, who was the oldest captive polar bear in the U.S., has been euthanized following a serious decline in the 37-year-old polar bear's health, zoo officials said Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018. Coldilocks was born at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, N.Y., on Dec. 13, 1980, arriving at the Philadelphia Zoo on Oct. 6, 1981. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

37 year old ‘Coldilocks’, the world’s oldest polar bear in captivity, have been put down in Philadelphia’s animal park as a result of failing health.

 

Coldilocks suffered from a number of age-related health problems,including failing kidneys and vision. But visitors to the zoo had not noticed anything, since the polar bear seemed to enjoy herself as she had a routine every morning of bringing her toys into the water.

“She was a really nice animal,” said veterinarian Keith Hinshaw at Philadelphia Zoo.

He said that Coldilocks’s 37 years far exceeded the average age of 23 years for polar bears.

It was a  week ago that the polar bear’s health suddenly changed. She lost her appetite, and her activity level fell. Surveys showed that she had possible liver and spinal problems in addition to problems with the kidneys and eyes.

Animal Park leader, Andy Baker, said Coldilocks drew attention to how climate change affects polar bears. She will be deeply missed, he said.

Coldilocks was born on December the 13th, 1980, at Seneca Park Zoo in New York. The following year she moved to Philadelphia Zoo, where last year, she celebrated her birthday with a cake filled with peanut butter, honey, raisins and fish.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today