'Amazing' Highland Wildlife Park attraction and UK's oldest polar bear euthanised

She has been hailed for the incredible legacy left after wowing visitors to the Highland Wildlife Park for a decade.

Now Victoria - the UK’s oldest polar bear - has been euthanised after an ongoing battle with health problems.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) announced farewell to one of its star attractions, after the wildlife conservation charity’s vets were advised that Victoria should be put to sleep.

Victoria - the UK's oldest polar bear - has been euthanised | The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

Born in December 1996 at Rostock Zoo in Germany, Victoria moved to the Highland Wildlife Park in 2015 where she gave birth to two boys.

Her cub, Hamish, was the first polar bear to be born in the UK for 25 years in 2017, followed by Brodie in 2021.

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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.”

The RZSS said only a a small percentage of polar bears live past 18 in the wild, making Victoria reaching the age of 28 a major achievement.