A 27-year-old female polar bear that thrived at the Detroit Zoo after being rescued from a circus 10 years ago was euthanized Wednesday because she had terminal cancer, zoo officials said.
Bärle (pronounced BEAR-la) had extensive tumors in her abdomen, a zoo news release said.
"Since her rescue a decade ago, Bärle has been a favorite of our staff and visitors," said Scott Carter, the zoo's chief life sciences officer.
Bärle was born in the wild in Manitoba, Canada, but lived most of her life as a performing circus bear. She was rescued from a circus in Puerto Rico and brought to the Detroit Zoo in 2002, then gave birth in 2004 to Talini, her only offspring, according to the zoo's release.
The average lifespan for polar bears is 15-18 years in the wild and 25-35 years in zoos, according to the release.
Bärle's death leaves the Detroit Zoo with three polar bears at the Arctic Ring of Life: males Aquila, 19, and Nuka, 7, and Bärle's daughter Talini, 7.
reprinted from: http://www.freep.com/article/C4/20120719/NEWS01/207190568/Detroit-Zoo-polar-bear-with-cancer-is-put-to-sleep?odyssey=nav%7Chead
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