Polar bear died from drowning, Calgary zoo officials say

A polar bear that died at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo last week drowned, zoo officials said Tuesday.

On Friday, the zoo closed its Wild Canada Zone after seven-year-old Baffin didn’t reappear after going underwater.

It’s now believed Baffin’s trachea was crushed by his eight-year-old mate Siku during rough play, when he lost consciousness underwater and didn’t come back up.

The care team confirmed Baffin dead in the pool.

“Although the necropsy results are conclusive about the cause of Baffin’s death, they offer little solace to our team that loved Baffin so deeply”, said Colleen Baird, Director of Animal Care, Health & Welfare at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.

There were a number of spectators around at the time of the incident.

Zoo officials say the necropsy confirmed the bear was in excellent physical condition and there was no evidence of heat-related stress like hyperthermia when he died.

Baffin and Siku have been habitat mates for a long time, first at Assiniboine Park Zoo’s (APZ) Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre and then APZ’s Journey to Churchill habitat

Last fall, the bears came to the Taylor Family Foundation Polar Bear Sanctuary at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo from Manitoba’s Assiniboine Park Zoo as part of an $11 million expansion to the Wild Canada Zone.

“[Baffin and Siku] displayed many natural polar bear behaviours, including playing daily in and out of the water,” Baird said. “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.”

The zoo adds its staff and volunteers are “deeply saddened” by Baffin’s death it what it calls a tragic accident.

Siku is being closely monitored by the zoo’s Animal Care, Health and Welfare team.

-With files from Michael Ranger