Friday, October 23, 2015

Klondike, The Oldest Polar Bear In The U.S., Dies At Age 34

The 34-year-old polar bear was euthanized Friday morning due to a “recent and substantial decline in her medical condition,” the Philadelphia Zoo announced.

Klondike.

Philadelphia Zoo / Via Facebook: philadelphiazoo

Klondike, the oldest polar bear in the U.S., was euthanized at the Philadelphia Zoo early Friday due to what staff said was a "recent and substantial decline in her medical condition."

The 34-year-old bear's health started to take a noticeable downturn about two weeks ago, when according to the zoo, she had difficulty standing and walking after lying down. In addition to the mobility issues, veterinarians also treated her for a urinary tract infection, but no significant improvement in her condition occurred.

"Given her advanced age and poor prognosis, zoo staff decided that the best decision would be to humanely euthanize her," the zoo announced in a Facebook post.

Klondike enjoys the snow in her enclosure.

Philadelphia Zoo / Via Facebook: philadelphiazoo

Klondike spent most of her time on display at Philadelphia Zoo, where she arrived three decades ago.

She went on to become one of the zoo's most distinguished residents, chomping on frozen shank bones or playing with floating balls in her enclosure's pool.

The zoo noted that Klondike lived an above average life. Polar bears in the wild don't typically live past 20.


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