Oldest polar bear in Britain put to sleep after bringing 'joy' to thousands
Keepers at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Highland Wildlife Park made the difficult decision to euthanise Victoria, 28, after she began to suffer age-related health problems
The UK's oldest polar bear has been put to sleep after experiencing age-related health issues, as she was praised as " a joy to all" visitors.
Victoria, aged 28, had been receiving geriatric care at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie in the Scottish Highlands, which had given her a new lease of life at first, as she was able to climb once again. However on Tuesday the charity made the extremely difficult decision to euthanise the mother bear after taking her quality of life and wellbeing into account. Staff at the zoo described the polar bear as an 'excellent mother' who was a joy to all visitors to have seen the happy family.
David Field, RZSS CEO, said: 'Victoria was an excellent mother and seeing her bring up two big, healthy boys has been a joy for our charity's dedicated teams and the hundreds of thousands of visitors who have flocked to see the family, and learn more about the threats these amazing animals face in the wild.'
Victoria was born in Rostock Zoo in Germany in December 1996 and first gave birth in 2008 at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark to a female her keepers named Malik. Only a small percentage of polar bears live past 18 in the wild.
The Highland Park said in a statement: 'The RZSS is sad to share the loss of Victoria, the UK's oldest polar bear, who had been experiencing age related health problems and receiving geriatric care.
'Taking into account her quality of life and wellbeing, the wildlife conservation charity's vets advised Victoria should be put to sleep. 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.'
Last year research showed polar bears face a growing risk of contracting viruses, bacteria and parasites that they were less likely to encounter just 30 years ago as a result of climate change.
Not only is the species threatened by rising temperatures melting their habitat, the study has also provided clues about how polar bear disease could also be linked to ice loss.
Scientists examined blood samples from bears in the Chukchi Sea - between Alaska and Russia and tested for six different pathogens in total - viruses, bacteria or parasites.
Dr Karyn Rode said: "Bears in general are pretty robust to disease. It's not typically been known to affect bear population, but I think what it just highlights is that things [in the Arctic] are changing."
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