Latest news with #HighlandWildlifePark
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Cub ‘searches' for mother after Britain's oldest polar bear put down
The wildlife conservation charity's vets advised that Victoria should be put down after taking its quality of life and wellbeing into account. There are now 15 other polar bears at zoos in Britain. Mrs Bowman said Victoria was treated to a special diet in the days before its death. 'In recent days she was treated with some extra tasty things that she liked that weren't necessarily on her diet any more – tinned sardines, which she loved,' she said. 'And we added some jam and honey which she really loves but which were not normally on her diet.' 'Victoria was in her 29th year, which is the equivalent to a person being in their 90s, and her health had been deteriorating. 'We'd been monitoring her for a long time and had been giving her pain relief. We had been keeping her comfortable, but there is only so much comfort you can give her. 'We care a lot about our animals and everyone is feeling it. It's a very sad day and the keepers are all affected by it, but we are also very aware of why the choice was made.' Victoria was born at Rostock Zoo in Germany in December 1996 and first gave birth in 2008 at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark to a female named Malik. In 2015, Victoria moved to the Highland Wildlife Park and gave birth to two male bears, Hamish in 2017 and Brodie in 2021. David Field, the RZSS chief executive, 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.' The RZSS said that in the wild only a small percentage of polar bears live past 18 and described Victoria's age as 'testament to the world-class care she received from her keepers and veterinary team'.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Victoria, UK's oldest polar bear, put down after health problems
The UK's oldest polar bear, and the first in the country to give birth to a cub in 25 years, has been put down because of age-related health problems. Victoria was 28 and had been kept in Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands since 2015. Vets at the park took the decision to euthanise her on Tuesday morning after an assessment about her quality of life and wellbeing. Since December she had been receiving geriatric care after showing signs of arthritis. Victoria initially responded well to medication, but was put to sleep after a deterioration in her health. In the wild polar bears rarely live beyond the age of 18, but can live for longer in captivity. Debby, believed to be world's oldest polar bear, died in 2008 aged 41 or 42, after living almost all of her life in Assiniboine Park zoo in Winnipeg, Canada. Victoria was born at Rostock zoo in Germany in December 1996 and first gave birth in 2008 at Aalborg zoo in Denmark to a female named Malik. In 2015 she was move moved to the Highlands park, run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS). Two years later she gave birth to Hamish, who according to the RZSS, was the first polar cub born in the UK since 1990. In 2021 she gave birth to another cub called Brodie. David Field, the chief executive of RZSS, 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.' Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The charity said Victoria had left an 'incredible legacy' through her cubs, who continued to play an essential role in the European breeding programme. It said the initiative aimed to promote a genetically diverse population of polar bears in captivity.
Sky News
21-05-2025
- Health
- Sky News
UK's oldest polar bear euthanised at the age of 28
The UK's oldest polar bear has been euthanised due to her deteriorating health, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has said. Victoria, who was 28, had been receiving geriatric care at the RZSS Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie. The wildlife conservation charity's vets advised she should be euthanised after taking her quality of life and wellbeing into account. Victoria was born at Rostock Zoo in Germany in December 1996 and first gave birth in 2008 at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark to a female named Malik. In 2015 she moved to the Scottish park and gave birth to two male bears - Hamish in 2017 and Brodie in 2021. Hamish was the first polar bear to be born in the UK for 25 years. As part of the breeding programme for the species, Hamish was moved to Yorkshire Wildlife Park in November 2020. David Field, RZSS chief executive, 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 euthanised on Tuesday morning. RZSS said that in the wild only a small percentage of polar bears live past 18 and described Victoria's age as "testament to the world-class care she received from her keepers and veterinary team".
The Independent
21-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
UK's oldest polar bear is euthanised after bringing ‘joy' to thousands
Victoria, the UK's oldest polar bear, has died at the age of 28. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) made the decision to euthanise her at their Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie after she began experiencing age-related health issues. Vets determined that the most humane course of action was euthanasia after considering Victoria's quality of life and overall wellbeing. Born in December 1996 at Rostock Zoo in Germany, Victoria later became a mother in 2008, giving birth to a female cub named Malik at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark. In 2015 Victoria moved to the Highland Wildlife Park and gave birth to two male bears: Hamish in 2017 and Brodie in 2021. David Field, RZSS chief executive, 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 euthanised on Tuesday morning. RZSS said that in the wild only a small percentage of polar bears live past 18 and described Victoria's age as 'testament to the world class care she received from her keepers and veterinary team.'
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Victoria, the UK's oldest polar bear, is euthanised at age 28
The UK's oldest polar bear has been euthanised after experiencing age-related health problems, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has said. Victoria, aged 28, had been receiving geriatric care at the RZSS Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie. The wildlife conservation charity's vets advised that she should be euthanised after taking her quality of life and wellbeing into account. Victoria was born at Rostock Zoo in Germany in December 1996 and first gave birth in 2008 at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark to a female named Malik. In 2015 Victoria moved to the Highland Wildlife Park and gave birth to two male bears: Hamish in 2017 and Brodie in 2021. David Field, RZSS chief executive, 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 euthanised on Tuesday morning. RZSS said that in the wild only a small percentage of polar bears live past 18 and described Victoria's age as 'testament to the world class care she received from her keepers and veterinary team.'
