Seneca Park Zoo's only polar bear, 28-year-old Aurora, dies
Victoria E. Freile
The lone polar bear at the Seneca Park Zoo has died.
Aurora, a 28-year-old female polar bear, was euthanized Monday afternoon after it was determined that she had severe liver disease, zoo officials announced Wednesday morning. She lived in Rochester for more than two decades.
"The loss of such a beloved animal is difficult for the entire zoo family," said Zoo Director Larry Sorel. "Aurora captured the hearts of staff and guests alike. She will be deeply missed."
Sorel said Aurora was fine until Friday, but her health deteriorated quickly over the weekend.
A necropsy determined that Aurora had a deteriorating liver and a compromised gallbladder, according to Dr. Louis DiVincenti, the zoo's director of animal health and conservation, who performed the necropsy. Further results will not be available until more tests are completed.
"Aurora's bloodwork indicated that she had severe liver disease and her condition deteriorated rapidly, necessitating humane euthanasia," DiVincenti said. "This is not uncommon, and the Special Survival Plan is actively working to identify causative factors for liver and gallbladder disease in polar bears."
Aurora was born at Hogle Zoo in Utah in 1989 and moved to the Seneca Park Zoo two years later. Her den-mate Zero, a male polar bear, died in 2016 at age 26.
Polar bears tend to live to between 15 and 18 years in the wild and between 25 and 30 in captivity.
During her time in Rochester, Aurora gave birth to five cubs between 1996 and 2002, one of which died not long after his birth. The other four include: three females, Anoki, Sila and Haley and one male, Qilak. All four are now grown. Anoki lives at the Maryland Zoo, Sila is at the North Carolina Zoo, Haley is at the Memphis Zoo and Qilak is at the Denver Zoo.
All of her cubs were conceived with her first mate Yukon, who died at the zoo in 2008. Zero arrived at the zoo in 2010.
In 2012, Aurora and Zero were participants in an artificial insemination procedure that was touted as the first of its kind, but ultimately failed to result in a pregnancy.
"She had a mellow personality, but also had her moments," Sorel said.
Known for her calm, good-natured personality, Aurora loved spending time with her keepers every day, zookeeper Hanna Kaiser wrote last month on the zoo's website. Kaiser said Aurora loved enrichment activities. Among Kaiser's favorites was to give the polar bear an ice block of fish, "which makes her exhibit a natural behavior of pounding on the ice to break it open."
Aurora in late winter could often be found rolling in the snow and swimming in the pool.
"She seemed to really enjoy interacting through the glass (of the pool) with guests," Sorel said. "She also enjoyed scaring people and getting a reaction."
"Over the course of her life, Aurora connected with millions of our guests to polar bears and the challenges they face in natural range," said Pamela Reed Sanchez, president and chief executive officer of the Seneca Park Zoo Society. "She was an extraordinary ambassador for her species and inspired people to want to make a difference for polar bears."
Aurora's death means the polar bear portion of the zoo's Rocky Coasts exhibit is currently empty. California sea lions Lily and Bob live on the other side of the exhibit.
Sorel said the zoo has already informed the Association of Zoos & Aquariums of Aurora's death and their hope to bring one or two polar bears to Rochester through AZA's Polar Bear Species Survival Program.
Polar bears are considered an endangered species and fewer than 100 live in captivity in North America. Ideally, the Seneca Park Zoo wants to move two young polar bears into the zoo's Rocky Coasts exhibit, Sorel said.
Priority for animal placement is given to zoos with an unexpected animal death and empty habitats, he said. The request is made through a formal process through the AZA. A response to the request may not be immediate and depends on polar bear availability.
"We'll sit tight in the meantime as we wait for a response," he said.
If approved, it will take time to arrange for the bears' transport.
After Zero died in 2016, zoo officials did not request a bear to replace him because they felt Aurora was too old to be introduced to a new mate, Sorel said.
The last time the zoo had no polar bears was October 1991, when a 31-year-old male, Nickels, passed away. His mate, Penny, had died three months earlier.
A new polar bear — Aurora — was acquired in just two months’ time.
Includes reporting by staff writer Steve Orr
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