Victoria, the UK’s oldest polar bear, has died at the age of 28.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) made the decision to euthanise her at their Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie after she began experiencing age-related health issues.
Vets determined that the most humane course of action was euthanasia after considering Victoria's quality of life and overall wellbeing.
Born in December 1996 at Rostock Zoo in Germany, Victoria later became a mother in 2008, giving birth to a female cub named Malik at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark.
In 2015 Victoria moved to the Highland Wildlife Park and gave birth to two male bears: Hamish in 2017 and Brodie in 2021.
David Field, RZSS chief executive, said: “Victoria was an excellent mother and seeing her bring up two big, healthy boys has been a joy for our charity’s dedicated teams and the hundreds of thousands of visitors who have flocked to see the family, and learn more about the threats these amazing animals face in the wild.”
Victoria was euthanised on Tuesday morning.
RZSS said that in the wild only a small percentage of polar bears live past 18 and described Victoria’s age as “testament to the world class care she received from her keepers and veterinary team.”
