A polar bear drowned after its throat was crushed during a fight with a fellow bear at a Canadian zoo on Friday.
The incident occurred at the Calgary Zoo in Alberta, Canada, when 7-year-old bear Baffin was playing with 8-year-old bear Sik. according to “Siku appears to have bitten Baffin's trachea while playing,” the zoo said in a press release.
The bite did not penetrate the bear's skin, but the impact collapsed its trachea, said Sandy Black, the zoo's senior veterinarian. Said Associated Press (AP).
“It is presumed that Ms. Baffin lost consciousness in the water due to a damaged trachea and subsequently drowned,” the press release said.
According to the outlet, Baffin sank into the pond at the exhibit and never returned to the surface. Visitors to the exhibit reportedly looked on as the exchange unfolded.
According to the Associated Press, visitors and staff initially did not suspect anything was wrong. (Related: “Invasion”: Polar bears terrorize Arctic town).
“It was clear one of the bears had not surfaced,” Colleen Baird, the zoo's animal care manager, told the outlet.[Visitors] “I was like, 'How long can a bear hold its breath?'”
It has been a difficult few days since the sudden passing of polar bear Baffin. A necropsy revealed that Baffin injured his trachea during rough play with Siku and drowned. Baffin showed no signs of heat stroke and was in very good health. We continue to mourn his passing. 💔 https://t.co/C5HIo5yNlE pic.twitter.com/4q8jZaibSK
— Calgary Zoo (@calgaryzoo) July 23, 2024
Black told the Associated Press that the biting was “tragically inappropriate” and that their rowdy behavior was “typical of how they play.”
Following the incident, visitors were reportedly removed and Siku was returned to his enclosure, and the pond was subsequently drained and Baffin's body recovered, the media reported.
“Baffin and Sikh have shared a long history as companions in the same habitat for many years and enjoyed a friendly relationship, which is why they were selected to come to Calgary from Assiniboine Park Zoo,” Baird said in a press release.
“They displayed many natural polar bear behaviours, including playing in and outside of the water every day, and the manner and intensity of their play on the day of the incident appeared no different to what keepers witnessed on a daily basis,” she added.
Zoo officials said they were “deeply saddened by Baffin's tragic accident,” and that Siku was being closely monitored by Calgary's Animal Care, Health and Welfare Department, according to a press release.
