Philadelphia Zoo's 37-Year-Old Polar Bear Coldilocks Dies
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Philadelphia Zoo is mourning the loss of one its beloved polar bears.
The zoo announced Tuesday 37-year-old Coldilocks was euthanized due to a serious decline in her health.
Coldilocks was the oldest bear in the country.
She was born Dec. 13, 1980 at Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York, and arrived at Philadelphia Zoo on Oct. 6, 1981.
She became one of the Zoo's most cherished animals.
"We are truly saddened this week - Coldilocks will be greatly missed." says Dr. Andy Baker, Chief Operating Officer. "Her long and healthy life is a testimony to nutrition and veterinary attention she received, and to the generations of keepers who cared for and about her over her lifetime."
Zoo officials say Coldilocks surpassed the typical polar bear lifespan of about 23 years.
She was the zoo's only polar bear after her roommate Klondike died back in 2015 at the age of 34.
There has not been a decision at this time if the Philadelphia zoo will be getting another polar bear in the future. The Philadelphia zoo is a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
"We will be coordinating through future plans related to Polar Bears in partnership with the polar bears species survival plan," Kristen Waldron, director of strategic initiatives, tells KYW Newsradio. "The zoo is actually in the process of going through a master planning process. So this is very new to us losing Coldiliocks. So we are going to need to kind of work through that and think about the future plans in a larger picture with our master plan over the next 5-to-10 years."
Those wanting to make a donation in Coldilock's honor should visit http://philadelphiazoo.org/PBIDonate put her name in the honor section and the address should be Philadelphia Zoo.
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CBS3's Trang Do and KYW Newsradio's John McDevitt contributed to this story.
