July 23rd 2024.
The recent death of a polar bear at a zoo in western Canada has been determined to be a result of drowning. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the bear's throat had been crushed by another bear during a playful scuffle, which is considered normal behavior for these large predators.
The unfortunate incident occurred at the Calgary Zoo, where seven-year-old Baffin was engaging in rough play with his fellow bear, eight-year-old Siku. The two were frolicking in a pond while visitors watched from the exhibit. Tragically, Baffin did not resurface after submerging in the water.
According to senior veterinarian Sandie Black, Siku had bitten down on Baffin's trachea, causing it to become crushed. Although the bite did not break the skin, it was powerful enough to cause fatal damage. Black explained that this type of roughhousing is typical for polar bears, but in this case, it was a terribly unfortunate accident.
Initially, no one at the zoo realized that anything was wrong. As Colleen Baird, the zoo's director of animal care, recalled, it was simply noticed that one of the bears had not surfaced from the pond. The thought was, "How long can a bear hold its breath?" However, as time passed, it became evident that something was amiss.
Eventually, Siku was brought back to his enclosure, and visitors were asked to leave the area. The pond was then drained, revealing Baffin's lifeless body. Both Siku and Baffin were originally from the Churchill, Manitoba area and had been orphaned at a young age, a circumstance that is not typically survivable for bear cubs. They had been living together for years and were brought to Calgary from the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, as they were considered to be compatible.
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