UK’s oldest polar bear dies after being put to sleep due to age-related health problems
21 May 2025, 09:48 | Updated: 21 May 2025, 09:54
The UK's oldest polar bear has been put to sleep after experiencing age-related health problems, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has said.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Victoria, aged 28, had been receiving geriatric care at the RZSS Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie, in Scotland.
She was the mother of Hamish, who in 2017 became the first polar bear cub to be born in the UK in 25 years.
She later gave birth to Brodie in 2021, with whom she shared her pen.
The wildlife conservation charity's vets advised that Victoria should be euthanised after taking her quality of life and wellbeing into account.
The RZSS said it “is sad to share the loss of Victoria, the UK’s oldest polar bear, who had been experiencing age related health problems and receiving geriatric care.
“Taking into account her quality of life and wellbeing, the wildlife conservation charity’s vets advised that Victoria should be put to sleep.”
While a small number of polar bears can survive into their 30s, they have an average lifespan of between 15 to 18 years in the wild.
This means Victoria, at 28, was the equivalent age of a human in their 90s.
Victoria, aged 28, had been receiving geriatric care at the RZSS Highland Wildlife Park.
RZSS described Victoria's age as "testament to the world class care she received from her keepers and veterinary team."
After her keepers noticed she was struggling to keep up with her cub Brodie, they began giving her medication and a special diet.
She was fed cod liver oil, lard, salmon oil, and oily fish, to give her the same nutritional benefits she would have gotten from eating seals.
Victoria was born at Rostock Zoo in Germany in December 1996 and first gave birth in 2008 at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark to a female named Malik.
In 2015 she moved to the Highland Wildlife Park, where she gave birth to two male bears: Hamish in 2017 and Brodie in 2021.
Hamish was moved to Doncaster's Yorkshire Wildlife Park Resort, which he shares with five other polar bears.
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.
