The Seneca Park Zoo is mourning the death of one of its most popular animals.
At 26, "Zero" the polar bear was one of the nine oldest polar bears at an American zoo.
It was about a week and a half ago when keepers noticed he was lethargic and no longer interested in food.
Zoo veterinarian Dr. Jeffrey Wyatt said Zero declined over the next eleven days and was euthanized on Sunday.
A necropsy showed Zero had lymphoma, a form of cancer. "We the staff who have been caring for him these past two weeks, and very importantly, the staff who care for him every day, are sad," Wyatt said.
Cancer is not uncommon in older zoo animals, according to Wyatt. He said they often suffer from the same health issues seen in older humans, including arthritis.
He believes the zoo’s remaining polar bear, Aurora, knows her mate won’t be back.
"Being anthropomorphic, which I can't help, I suspect she knew something was happening. And now that she has access to all areas of that exhibit, I believe she knows he's no longer there."
The zoo hopes to bring another polar bear to Rochester to act as a companion to Aurora, who is also 26.
She and Zero never did produce any offspring together, but artificial insemination attempts with the pair were crucial to the advancement of reproductive strategies that were later adopted by other zoos.
Wyatt said based on Aurora’s age, she is now considered beyond her reproductive years, but recent tests did show that she was still ovulating.
Zero came to Rochester in 201o, following the death of Aurora's previous mate, Yukon. Zero was born at Milwaukee County Zoo in 1989.
