Polar bear death closes Wild Canada exhibit at Calgary Zoo

The Wild Canada exhibit at the Wilder Institute Calgary Zoo was closed on Friday after one of the zoo’s two polar bears died.

Jamie Dorgan, the zoo’s interim CEO and COO, says the bear’s death was sudden, and a necropsy will determine the cause of death.

“It’s obviously a huge shock today,” he told reporters on Friday during a news conference at the zoo.

Dorgan says that at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Friday, both polar bears were seen sparring in the lower pool — which he says is normal behaviour for the pair of animals — when Baffin did not resurface.

A volunteer then alerted the animal care team after noticing Baffin did not re-emerge, but Dorgan says it is unknown how long the bear was underwater.

“We removed him pretty quickly … outwardly there’s nothing obvious,” he said.

“We don’t know why the bear died.”

He says the veterinary team responsible for the necropsy will be looking at all possible explanations. 

Baffin and eight-year-old Siku came from Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo to Calgary in October 2023.

According to its website, the Calgary Zoo is home to over 4,000 animals from around the world.