Last Polar Bear In Africa Passes Away
- 10 years ago
On Wednesday, the last polar bear in Africa passed away. In the months leading up to 28-year-old Wang’s death he suffered, both emotionally and physically.
On Wednesday, the last polar bear in Africa passed away. In the months leading up to 28-year-old Wang’s death he suffered, both emotionally and physically.
Wang spent the majority of this year grieving for his longtime female companion GeeBee. Together the polar bear pair spent over a quarter century together at The Johannesburg Zoo, but GeeBee died this past January from a heart attack.
The two had been together since they were six months old. Wang was left spending his days lonely and longing for his friend.
He wouldn’t eat and refused to swim, which was an activity Wang frequently enjoyed taking part in with GeeBee. He was sent gifts by a number of companies to relieve some of the sadness, but nothing seemed to do much good.
The zoo released a statement which in part read “His days were filled with enrichment programmes and special treats, including his own Valentine's Day celebration.”
On top of the grief, Wang lived with chronic arthritis and liver failure. Eventually staffers made the tough decision to put him down because of his declining health.
The zoo has no plans to replace either polar bear.
On Wednesday, the last polar bear in Africa passed away. In the months leading up to 28-year-old Wang’s death he suffered, both emotionally and physically.
Wang spent the majority of this year grieving for his longtime female companion GeeBee. Together the polar bear pair spent over a quarter century together at The Johannesburg Zoo, but GeeBee died this past January from a heart attack.
The two had been together since they were six months old. Wang was left spending his days lonely and longing for his friend.
He wouldn’t eat and refused to swim, which was an activity Wang frequently enjoyed taking part in with GeeBee. He was sent gifts by a number of companies to relieve some of the sadness, but nothing seemed to do much good.
The zoo released a statement which in part read “His days were filled with enrichment programmes and special treats, including his own Valentine's Day celebration.”
On top of the grief, Wang lived with chronic arthritis and liver failure. Eventually staffers made the tough decision to put him down because of his declining health.
The zoo has no plans to replace either polar bear.