A polar bear died in a freak accident at a popular Canadian zoo on July 19 as it played with a fellow bear, The Daily Mail reported.
Baffin, a 7-year-old male, was roughhousing with 8-year-old Siku in a pond at the Calgary Zoo when the tragic event occurred. Siku apparently bit down on Baffin’s neck, unintentionally crushing the bear’s trachea.
Baffin disappeared under the water, alarming the witnesses at the scene, as zoo officials quickly corralled Siku and took him back to the polar bear enclosure. Park visitors were also vacated from the scene while staff drained the pond to recover Baffin’s body.
Siku’s bite did not pierce Baffin’s skin, but Sandie Black, a senior veterinarian with the Calgary Zoo, reported that the bite was in exactly the right place to crush the bear’s trachea. Black further explained that the style of play in which the bears were engaging was not considered at all aggressive or unusual.
A necropsy later revealed that Baffin’s death was practically instantaneous. Officials say he “lost consciousness underwater due to the tracheal injury and subsequently drowned.”
Black called the necropsy’s findings a “hollow comfort,” noting that “nothing would have changed” even if she had been able to render aid to Baffin in the moments after his injury.
“Had this been on land,” Black said, “it would have been very different [outcome].”
On their Facebook page, the Calgary Zoo posted a heartwarming tribute to Baffinafter his untimely death.
“Our hearts go out to the Assiniboine Park & Zoo family, who loved him first. Although Baffin was with us for a short time, his passing will leave a hole in hearts across the zoo and our community,” the zoo wrote. “He will be remembered for his endearing ‘teddy-bear’ face, his playful and curious nature, and his fondness for interacting with visitors during pool time. His presence brought immense joy to our lives and he will be deeply missed by all.”
