The Buffalo Zoo is saddened by
the loss of its spectacled bear, Diana, who was humanely euthanized on December
16 due to declining health. At 35 years old, Diana was the oldest spectacled
bear in the world at the time of her death. Spectacled bears typically live
around 20 – 25 years in captivity, and slightly less in the wild.
Diana’s
personality and longevity made her a favorite Zoo resident for staff and
guests. Her presence in the Zoo’s Vanishing North exhibit will be sorely
missed.
Diana was
born at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, IL in January of 1979, and has been at
the Buffalo Zoo since May of 1980. Over her long life, Diana gave birth to
three surviving cubs, who parented a total of eight offspring of their own,
greatly contributing to the North American Spectacled bear population.
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| Diana. Photo credit: Kelly Ann Brown |
Spectacled
bears (also known as Andean bears) are listed as vulnerable on the World
Conservation Union’s (IUCN’s) Red List of Threatened Animals. There are
believed to be fewer than 2,000 remaining in the wild. They are managed as a
Species Survival Plan (SSP) by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and
cooperating zoos.
“When
animals in zoos live well beyond their average captive lifespan, it speaks to
the high quality of care they received,” said Dr. Donna Fernandes, President
and CEO of the Buffalo Zoo. “The Buffalo Zoo is home to several long-lived and
record breaking animals. For example, servals Bob and Zizzi are the two oldest
males in the United States. In 2014 the Zoo said good bye to Delmonico, the addax
antelope, and Shanta, a Sulawesi macaque, who were the oldest living
individuals of their species at the time of their deaths.”
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| Photo by keeper Caitlyn Bruce |
