The last of a polar bear at a Calgary zoo was due to horse play , in what is a tragic incident .
That ’s the conclusion of a necropsy ( or an autopsy for beast ) conduct on a seven - year - quondam male person make Baffin who exit on Friday , July 19 at the Wilder Institute / Calgary Zoo . Baffin was rescued when he was less than a yr former after being orphan in the wild . He had inhabit most of his life sentence at another Canadian menagerie near Winnipeg before being channelise to the Calgary insane asylum .
He had been accompanied on that trek by another orphaned male polar bear , eight - year previous Siku , and it was this companion that carry some responsibility for Baffin ’s untimely death . The necropsy , conducted by an independent wildlife diagnostician , concluded that Baffin submerge after his trachea was crushed while take in “ rough free rein ” with Siku , the zoological garden explained in astatement . Baffin presumably lost consciousness while underwater due to the injury . The bear had been in otherwise “ fantabulous physical circumstance ” and show no signs of oestrus - related stress .
Baffin the polar bear, as photographed in November 2023.Calgary Zoo
It ’s been a difficult few day following the unexpected loss of diametric bear , Baffin . Necropsy results show he drown after a tracheal hurt from rough play w/ Siku . He was in first-class wellness with no signs of heat strain . We go forward to aggrieve his loss. 💔 https://t.co / C5HIo5yNlEpic.twitter.com/4q8jZaibSK
— Calgary Zoo ( @calgaryzoo)July 23 , 2024
“ Although the necropsy solvent are conclusive about the cause of Baffin ’s death , they offer up petty solace to our squad that loved Baffin so deep ” , said Colleen Baird , the zoological garden ’s director of animal care , wellness , and welfare . “ Baffin and Siku shared a longsighted history as longtime habitat match and enjoyed a companionate relationship , which is why they were prefer to come to Calgary from Assiniboine Park Zoo . They displayed many natural diametric bear behaviours , including play day by day in and out of the water . The case and intensity of play on the day of the incident seem to be no different than the type of play their primary care provider witnessed from them on a daily groundwork . ”
arctic bear typically live to their late teens in the wild , though some individuals have been found who lived into their former 30s .
Baffin ’s drowning is not the first time the Calgary Zoo has been under scrutiny due to fauna death . In 2010 , an extraneous audited account let out that several beast had died or been bruise as a termination of unentitled staff members or defect in display designs , according to aCBC report . Those included the death of a baby elephant , a hippo , four gorillas , and 41 stingrays , as well as twelve of bat and four sugar gliders .
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