Seattle zoo’s oldest grizzly bear Keema, 28, euthanized on Christmas Day
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The Seattle Zoo’s oldest grizzly bear, Keema, 28, is euthanized on Christmas Day after suffering “decreased mobility” as devastated park workers say their “hearts are heavy”.
- Keema, 28, was euthanized on Christmas Day due to a serious decline in her health.
- The grizzly bear had lived at Woodland Park Zoo for almost 30 years, since 1994.
- She had lived most of her life in the park with twin Denali, who died in late 2020.
- The bosses say he had been taking arthritis medication for some time before he died.
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The oldest male grizzly bear at a Seattle zoo was euthanized on Christmas Day amid concerns of “decreased mobility.”
Keema, the 28-year-old bear, was humanely euthanized Sunday “due to serious deterioration in his health,” according to the Woodland Park Zoo, where he had lived since 1994.
In a blog post shared on Monday, the zoo said Keema had been struggling with mobility issues for some time and had been under observation for months, but the veterinary team was unable to find any treatable underlying conditions.
He had been taking arthritis medication for some time before the bosses made the ‘difficult decision’ to end his life humanely.
Keema, the 28-year-old bear, was humanely euthanized on Sunday “due to serious deterioration in his health.”
Keema had lived at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle since 1994, having been born in Washington earlier in the year.
Keema had been struggling with mobility issues for some time and had been under observation for months.
“While Keema had been holding out there, his mobility had decreased, which is not uncommon in aging animals,” said the zoo’s director of animal health, Dr Tim Storms.
“He was in obvious discomfort today and his health had deteriorated significantly. Today we had to make the difficult decision to humanely euthanize him.”
Keema had lived at the popular zoo with his twin brother Denali for nearly 30 years. The couple arrived at the zoo when they were 10 months old, having been born at the Washington State University Bear Center in January 1994.
Denali died in late 2020, leaving only her twin brother for the last two years of her life.
The couple had been able to live together in peace as there were no women present.
Male brown bears have a life expectancy of 21 years in human care, and often less in the wild.
In the post, the zoo’s senior director of animal care, Kevin Murphy, said: “Losing Keema marks the end of an era. For nearly three decades, Keema and her late twin brother, Denali, touched our hearts and minds.
‘Keema lived a long and enriching life thanks to the dedication and expertise of her animal keepers and our animal health team, as well as the generous support of our donors, members and community.
Keema had been taking arthritis medication for some time before the bosses made the ‘tough decision’ to end his life humanely.
Male brown bears have a life expectancy of 21 years in human care, and often less in the wild.
Keema had lived at the popular zoo with his twin brother Denali for nearly 30 years before Denali’s death in late 2020.
“In addition, these majestic bears were iconic ambassadors for grizzlies in Washington State, helping to highlight the importance of co-existing with bears and other wildlife in both urban and remote areas.
“Keema and Denali will forever live in our hearts.”
It comes after two brown bear cubs, named Fern and Juniper, were welcomed into the zoo. Fern, a brown bear who was born last winter in Montana, arrived at the zoo in October.
Juniper, a grizzly bear cub, was also born last winter and was found wandering near an air force base in Anchorage, Alaska. He met the public for the first time in August.