Polar bear remains donated to National Museum of Scotland
The body of the UK's oldest polar bear has been donated to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh for scientific research.
Polar bear Victoria died last month aged 28, at her home at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's (RZSS) Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore.
The wildlife conservation charity's experts carried out an on-site post mortem, which established that the 400kg bear had 'advanced arthritis in her limbs and spine'.
Victoria's blood, tissue, ovaries, serum and liver have now been preserved for research by RZSS and other organisations, while her body was transported to Edinburgh for National Museums Scotland.
The Museum's previous research on bear skeletons, conducted to establish the effect of arthritis on limbs, had informed end-of-life care for Victoria.
An RZSS spokesman said: 'We undertake postmortem examinations of all our animals on site as standard. With Victoria we were able to establish that she had advanced arthritis in her limbs and spine.
'Various blood, tissue and organ samples have been preserved for research by RZSS, while her remains are now in the collections of National Museums Scotland.'
Dr Nick Fraser, Keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland, said: 'Our natural science collections form an invaluable resource for current and future researchers in Scotland and across the world.
'The development of a collection such as ours over centuries enables scientists to study developments in animal populations over those periods, and to apply new techniques as they emerge to learn more.'
Victoria was born at Rostock Zoo in Germany on 12 December 1996, and had her first cub, a female named Malik, in 2008 at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark.
She was transported to the Highland Wildlife Park in 2015 as a mate for resident male Arktos.
They produced the UK's first polar bear cub in 25 years in December 2017. The cub, named Hamish, went to live with a group of other young males at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in November 2020, just weeks before his third birthday.
Her third and last cub, Brodie, born in 2021, remains at the Highland Wildlife Park.
The decision for Victoria to be 'put to sleep' was taken following advice from RZSS vets, 'taking into account her quality of life and wellbeing'.
Keepers said 28 years-old was the equivalent of her being in her 90s in human years.
Following her death, RZSS said in a statement: 'With only a small percentage of polar bears living past 18 in the wild, at 28, Victoria's age is testament to the world class care she received from her keepers and veterinary team.
'She leaves an incredible legacy through her cubs who play an essential role in the European breeding programme, which ensures a healthy and genetically diverse population of these bears living in human care.'
Credit RZSS
Like this:
Like
Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Courier
7 hours ago
- The Courier
Glenrothes dad's paternity leave campaign after son's traumatic birth
A Glenrothes dad is campaigning for better UK paternity leave following the premature birth of his son. Ryan Connolly and wife Claire welcomed baby Lewis in April last year. He was almost four weeks early and there were complications which saw Claire need emergency surgery. She remained in hospital for several days. Yet, despite the seriousness of the situation, Ryan was only entitled to two weeks leave from his job as an IT project co-ordinator. The 30-year-old said: 'In one of the most important and vulnerable moments of our lives, I don't think it's too much to ask that families are given the time and support to actually be a family.' According to MPs, the UK's paternity leave system is among the worst in the developed world. However, Ryan is supporting the Dad Shift campaign, which aims to change that. He has now spoken of Lewis's traumatic birth, and the days following, as part of that campaign. Ryan said: 'Lewis arrived unexpectedly early—at 36 weeks and 3 days. 'He was born a petite, albeit healthy, 5lb 10oz with a big cry and passed all his checks. 'But Claire's placenta didn't detach as it should have. 'After several failed attempts to remove it, she had to undergo emergency surgery. 'I was left, quite literally, holding the baby while she was taken to theatre. 'Although the operation went well, Claire suffered significant blood loss and needed a transfusion. 'She later had to have a second procedure before the bleeding was finally brought under control.' The new dad added: 'I'll never forget sitting there holding our day-old son, watching monitors as his mum's blood pressure dropped and her skin turned grey from blood loss.' Claire, 31, spent three full days in hospital with Ryan and Lewis at her side. Meanwhile, at night Ryan would go home and try to ready the house for their new baby. 'The whole time, I was painfully aware I was already on day three of my two-week paternity leave,' the Glenrothes dad said. 'We hadn't even made it home yet to adjust, to heal, to simply be together – and I can't help but think how many other dads are in the same position?' Eight European countries, including France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands, offer a minimum of four weeks paternity leave. And Glenrothes and Mid Fife MP Richard Baker has joined forces with Ryan and other local dads to push for improvement. The Labour MP said: 'Dads shouldn't have to choose between being present for their newborn and keeping their household afloat. 'Even taking those two weeks off comes at a financial cost.' According to a recent survey by Dad Shift, 70% of 1,911 respondents said they did not feel psychologically ready to return to work when they did. An additional survey saw 86% of 1,565 respondents say current paternity leave limitations also negatively affected their partner's health and wellbeing. The UK Government says it is carrying out a review to see how it can best support working families.
NBC News
20 hours ago
- NBC News
European probe snaps first images of the sun's south pole
From the spacecraft's observations, scientists discovered that magnetic fields with both north and south polarity are currently present at the sun's south pole. This mishmash of magnetism is expected to last only a short time during the solar maximum before the magnetic field flips. Once that happens, a single polarity should slowly build up over time at the poles as the sun heads toward its quiet solar minimum phase, according to ESA. 'How exactly this build-up occurs is still not fully understood, so Solar Orbiter has reached high latitudes at just the right time to follow the whole process from its unique and advantageous perspective,' said Sami Solanki, director of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany and lead scientist for Solar Orbiter's PHI instrument, which is mapping the sun's surface magnetic field. Scientists have enjoyed close-up images of the sun before, but before now, they have all been captured from around the sun's equator by spacecraft and observatories orbiting along a plane similar to Earth's path around the sun. But Solar Orbiter's journey through the cosmos included close flybys of Venus that helped tilt the spacecraft's orbit, allowing it to see higher-than-normal latitudes on the sun. The newly released images were taken in late March, when Solar Orbiter was 15 degrees below the sun's equator, and then a few days later when it was 17 degrees below the equator — a high-enough angle for the probe to directly see the sun's south pole. 'We didn't know what exactly to expect from these first observations — the sun's poles are literally terra incognita,' Solanki said in a statement. Solar Orbiter was launched in February 2020. The European-led mission is being operated jointly with NASA. In the coming years, Solar Orbiter's path is expected to tilt even further, bringing even more of the sun's south pole into direct view. As such, the best views may be yet to come, according to ESA. 'These data will transform our understanding of the sun's magnetic field, the solar wind, and solar activity,' said Daniel Müller, ESA's Solar Orbiter project scientist.
The National
a day ago
- The National
Canadian space firm unveils new Edinburgh office
PCI Geomatics, a leading firm in Earth observation, has opened its new office at the Future's Institute in the Scottish capital as it aims to become a key player in Scotland's space industry. PCI Geomatics, operating under the name Catalyst, gathers and analyses information about Earth's physical, chemical, and biological systems using remote sensing technologies and uses the data it collects to provide climate-related information. The Toronto-headquartered firm has more than 40 years of experience and joins more than 180 other companies that are already contributing to Scotland's satellite design and manufacturing industry. READ MORE: Scottish Government 'short-changed by £1bn' by Rachel Reeves, Finance Secretary says Business Minister Richard Lochhead welcomed the news as he said Scotland's space sector has grown at a 'phenomenal pace'. He said 'Scotland is well on the way to becoming a European leader in the space sector. PCI's arrival adds to Edinburgh's considerable reputation as a 'data capital' and takes us closer to our ambition to capture £4 billion of the global space market. 'The number of space-related organisations based in Scotland rose by 25% within a year, with the sector's total income increasing by 65%, demonstrating the phenomenal pace of growth and scale of opportunity before us. 'This is why the Scottish Government appointed its first ever Space Envoy, Daniel Smith, last year who is boosting Scotland's global standing and helping businesses forge strategic partnerships and identify new opportunities.' PCI said its business aligns 'strongly with Scotland's growing reputation' in space-enabled applications which includes more than 30 companies dedicated to observing and protecting Earth from space. The company is now recruiting for multiple roles in Scotland. PCI has also joined the industry body Space Scotland and participated in a recent Scottish Earth Observation showcase at the British Embassy in Denmark. President and CEO of PCI, June McAlarey, said she is excited to see the business expand into Scotland. She said: 'Scotland's rising profile in the global space economy has been unmistakable. When exploring locations to complement our Canadian headquarters, the UK quickly stood out as a strategic gateway to Europe and the Middle East. 'We now have a growing team across the UK and are excited to expand our Scottish office in the coming weeks.' Dr. Craig Brown, investment director at the UK Space Agency, also welcomed the news as he said Earth observation technology is vital to keeping the world safe. He said: 'Scotland's space sector attracts significant levels of private investment and is playing an important role in unlocking the value of space data for the wider economy. 'We welcome the presence of international companies like PCI as a key driver of innovation, expertise and creation. 'This new development supports our commitment to grow the space economy across the whole of the UK and to advance Earth observation technology, which is a vital tool for protecting our planet.'
