A wild game costs a polar bear in the Calgary Zoo its life
Visitors at the Calgary Zoo are astonished by how long they believe polar bear cub "Baffin" apparently held his breath. But in reality, they witness the animal's death after playing with a conspecific. The zoo is now investigating the cause of death following the incident last week.
A polar bear at a zoo in Western Canada paid the price for wild play with a conspecific. An autopsy ordered at the Calgary Zoo following the animal's death on Friday revealed that the windpipe of the seven-year-old polar bear cub "Baffin" was crushed by another male polar bear, eight-year-old "Siku," during rough play, which is common among large predators. Zoo visitors had observed the incident in a pond. "Baffin" went underwater and did not resurface.
"Siku" apparently bit him in the windpipe. While the skin was not penetrated, the pressure was reportedly sufficient and precisely placed to crush the windpipe, as explained by the zoo's leading veterinarian, Sandie Black. "That's typical of their playstyle," Black said. However, the bite was tragically misplaced.
At first, no one realized something was amiss. "It was obvious that one of the bears wasn't appearing," said Colleen Baird, the animal care director of the zoo. The visitors were initially surprised by how long a polar bear could hold its breath. Eventually, "Siku" was returned to his enclosure. Visitors were asked to leave, and the pond was drained to retrieve "Baffin's" body.
Both polar bears originally came from the province of Manitoba. Both were raised as orphans when they were still under a year old - a circumstance that polar bear cubs typically do not survive. The polar bears were eventually brought to Calgary from the zoo in Winnipeg. They were chosen because they had lived together for years and were deemed compatible.
The international community has expressed concern over the incident at the Calgary Zoo. Visitors from various countries who had come to see the animals were deeply saddened by the death of the young polar bear.
Despite the tragic incident, the Calgary Zoo continues to be a popular destination for international tourists, known for its diverse range of animals from various parts of the world.
