The zoo's 26 year-old Grizzly Bear Denali was euthanized this afternoon. Here is some information that I copied and pasted from an email statement put out by the zoo:
"We are sad to share that 26-year-old grizzly bear Denali was humanely euthanized this afternoon after age-related issues caused a severe decline in his health. Denali has been much-loved by Woodland Park Zoo’s staff, visitors, donors and members like you, and he will be greatly missed.
Animal care staff noticed Denali had been displaying mobility challenges for the past three weeks, including severe limitations to his mobility, activity routine and overall comfort, so he was immediately brought indoors where veterinarians and keepers could closely monitor him and adjust his care. However, Denali’s health continued to decline. He will be remembered fondly as a gentle, mellow bear who loved to lounge on the logs in the exhibit.
Denali and his twin brother Keema were born January 15, 1994, and have captured the hearts of their community for 26 years. Male grizzly bears have a median life expectancy of 21 years in human care, and often less in the wild.
Keema and Denali have lived together their entire lives, but grizzly bears are usually solitary animals. The brothers were only able to get along because they have always been together and there are no female bears around. The brother bears came to Woodland Park Zoo as 10-month-old cubs. Their mother was a rescue from Yellowstone who couldn’t be released back into the wild, so Washington State University gave her a home in their Bear Research, Education, and Conservation Center. It’s the only program of its kind in the U.S. that focuses on bear conservation around the world."
There has even been a movement to place wild Grizzly Bears back in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State for at least 5 years, but that was abruptly ended a few months ago. Here's an article about it:
