A polar bear accidentally killed another polar bear as zoo visitors watched on in a tragic case of rough play.
A necropsy has shown that the polar bear at a zoo in western Canada died by drowning after his throat was crushed by a fellow bear in rough play considered normal for the massive predators.
The seven-year-old Baffin died at the Calgary Zoo on Friday after roughhousing in a pond with another male bear, the eight-year-old Siku, while visitors to the exhibit watched.
Baffin submerged in the pond and didn’t resurface.
The eight-year-old bear apparently bit down on the seven-year-old’s trachea and while the bite didn’t pierce Baffin’s skin, it was hard enough and in just the right place to crush his trachea, zoo senior veterinarian Sandie Black said.
“It’s typical of how they play,” Black said of the roughhousing, but added that it was a “tragically misplaced” bite.
At first, nobody knew anything was wrong.“It was apparent that one of the bears didn’t surface,” said Colleen Baird, the zoo’s director of animal care. “(Visitors) were like, ‘How long can a bear hold its breath?”’Eventually, Siku was brought back into his enclosure, visitors ushered away and the pond drained to reveal Baffin’s body.
Siku and Baffin were both originally from the Churchill, Manitoba, area.
Both had been orphaned when they were less than a year old — a circumstance that bear cubs don’t normally survive.
The pair came to Calgary from the polar bear enclosure at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg. They were chosen because they had lived together for years and were considered to be compatible.
A post on Instagram by the zoo on the day of the death read: “Today, we are truly heartbroken to share the devasting news of the sudden passing of ‘Baffin’, our beloved 7-year-old male polar bear. “After sparring with ‘Siku’ in the pool, ‘Baffin’ did not resurface. A necropsy is being conducted to determine the cause of his passing and we will provide updates as soon as we have more information. The Animal Care, Health & Welfare team will be closely monitoring his long-time habitat mate, ‘Siku’.
“The entire Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo family is mourning this loss deeply and our hearts go out to the @assiniboineparkzoo family, who loved him first. Although Baffin was with us for a short time, his passing will leave a hole in hearts across the zoo and our community. He will be remembered for his endearing ‘teddy-bear’ face, his playful and curious nature, and his fondness for interacting with visitors during pool time. His presence brought immense joy to our lives and he will be deeply missed by all.
“We all grieve in our own way, and we ask that you please respect the privacy of our staff members if you see them on zoo grounds. Please keep our Animal Care, Health & Welfare team in your thoughts as they navigate this challenging time. We will all need to lean on each other as we grieve the loss of such an incredibly special bear.”
