The oldest polar bear in the United States dies at 34

(Image credit: Facebook.com/PhiladelphiaZoo)

published 26 October 2015

Klondike, the oldest polar bear in the United States, died Friday at the Philadelphia Zoo. She was 34.

On Facebook, the zoo said she was euthanized Friday morning "due to the recent and substantial decline in her medical condition." About two weeks ago, zoo staff members noticed that she was having difficulty standing up and walking after lying down. She was treated for mobility issues and a urinary tract infection, but zoo staff did not see an improvement in her condition, and decided "the best decision would be to humanely euthanize her." Born in 1980 at the Bronx Zoo, she came to the Philadelphia Zoo in 1981, NBC Philadelphia reports, and exceeded the typical lifespan of a polar bear by 10 years.

In its Facebook message, the zoo wrote that Klondike not only brought joy to staff and visitors, but was also an "important ambassador to wild polar bears, who are increasingly threatened by climate change and resulting shrinkage of polar ice. We hope she has inspired many to make commitments in their daily lives to reduce energy and water use, which will contribute to efforts to slow climate change." The zoo's other polar bear, Coldilocks, is also 34, and now takes the title of oldest polar bear in the U.S.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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