Zoo honour for Mercedes as polar bear put to sleep

Published on Friday 15 April 2011 12:07

MERCEDES the polar bear could be honoured at Edinburgh Zoo, it emerged today.

SPECIAL: Mercedes had been suffering from crippling arthritis over recent months

The 29-year-old bear, who suffered from crippling arthritis, was put to sleep at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie yesterday morning.

The half-ton bear moved to the park, which is situated in the Cairngorms National Park, in October 2009 after concerns were raised over the size of her enclosure at the city's zoo.

Douglas Richardson, animal collection manager at the Highland Wildlife Park, described her as the "nicest" polar bear he has ever worked with.

Mr Richardson said it was likely that there would be some sort of honour, such as a plaque, at Edinburgh Zoo in her memory.

"That's something that I'm sure we will discuss in the coming couple of weeks," he said.

"She spent a long time at the zoo and her arrival at the time was the biggest story in the history of the RZSS - as far as the amount of coverage and interest - and so she certainly did her bit to help the park move forward.

"I think we owe her some sort of formal commemoration."

• Online poll: How should Edinburgh Zoo pay tribute to the late polar bear Mercedes? Vote now

Mr Richardson, who has worked with around 20-30 polar bears, added: "She had a very gentle attitude about her. She holds a bit of a special place because she was such a character and was so high profile. She's definitely been the sweetest-natured polar bear I've worked with."

Mercedes was on a cocktail of drugs to deal with her advanced osteoarthritis, for which there is no cure.

A basic post-mortem examination on Mercedes, who had exceeded the average 20-year wild polar bear lifespan, revealed very significant signs of arthritis in some of her joints, as well as signs of hardening of the arteries in her brain.

Further tests will be carried out on her body.

Mr Richardson said: "She just wasn't doing well at all and took a very bad turn for the worse over the last week or so. We had no other option. It goes without saying that Mercedes will be greatly missed."

A statement from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park, said: "We noted a marked and rapid downturn in Mercedes' behaviour and demeanour, and she appeared to be ageing very rapidly and possibly showing signs of senility.

"All of the individuals responsible for her care sadly concluded that our only remaining option was to put her to sleep on age and health grounds."

Jane Harley, the Highland Wildlife Park's local veterinary consultant, added: "This has been a difficult decision for everyone, but was the right decision for a very special bear."

IN FROM COLD

MERCEDES was born in the wild in the western Hudson Bay region of Manitoba, Canada, in December 1981.

She was rescued from being shot and added to the zoo's collection in January 1984.

While in the Capital, she reared two cubs - Minty and Ohoto. Both cubs were sired by her partner, Barney.

After Barney's death in 1996, Mercedes, who was named after the car company which paid for her to be brought to Scotland, lived by herself before moving to the Highland Wildlife Park.

A two-year-old male called Walker was introduced to Mercedes' enclosure but she rebuffed all of his attempts at contact.