Baffin the polar bear dies by drowning after 'rough play' at Canada zoo

A beloved polar bear at a Canada zoo died suddenly by drowning this week.

According to the Calgary Zoo in Calgary, Alberta, Baffin, a 7-year-old male polar bear, died by drowning following a crushing injury to his trachea by Siku, an 8-year-old male polar bear. The two were engaging in "rough play," which the zoo said was typical of the pair, and it is presumed that Baffin lost consciousness underwater due to the tracheal injury and drowned. 

Baffin was in excellent physical health, a necropsy completed by an independent wildlife pathologist confirmed, and there was no evidence of heat-related stress. 

After Baffin's accident, the zoo said Siku is being closely monitored by the Animal Care, Health & Welfare team.

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How did Baffin the polar bear come to the Calgary Zoo?

Baffin was rescued as an orphaned cub when he was less than a year old and was first brought to the Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre at Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in December 2017.

He lived there with other polar bears until he and Siku, who was rescued as an orphan cub in 2016, were transferred to the Calgary Zoo.

Posted by The Calgary Zoo on Tuesday, July 23, 2024
It has been an incredibly difficult few days following the unexpected loss of our beloved 7-year-old male polar bear...

"Baffin and Siku shared a long history as longtime habitat mates and enjoyed a companionate relationship, which is why they were chosen to come to Calgary from Assiniboine Park Zoo," Colleen Baird, Director of Animal Care, Health & Welfare at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, said in a release. "They displayed many natural polar bear behaviors, including playing daily in and out of the water. The type and intensity of play on the day of the incident appeared to be no different than the type of play their caregivers witnessed from them on a daily basis."

Are polar bears endangered?

Polar bears are currently listed as vulnerable, according to the World Wildlife Fund, and there are between 22,000-31,000 of the species left. They were listed as a threatened species in the U.S. under the Endangered Species Act in May 2008.

Polar bears are the largest bear in the world and are the top predator in the Arctic, where they are mainly found. They rely heavily on sea ice for traveling, hunting, resting, mating and more, but the loss of sea ice due to global warming and climate change is the primary threat to their survival. 

As the polar bears' sea ice habitats recede earlier in the spring and forms later in the fall, they are spending more and more time on land, where they are attracted to areas populated by humans, the World Wildlife Fund said. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Baffin the polar bear dies after 'rough play,' Calgary Zoo says