The Phoenix Zoo’s 26-year-old female Andean bear, Rio, was humanely euthanized on April 15. Rio was born at the Calgary Zoo in 1995 and came to the Phoenix Zoo in 1996 as a 10-month-old cub along with her sister, Mischief, to be the cornerstone of the Forest of Uco habitats.
"She was our last original resident of the Forest of Uco and is known for her big personality and penchant for doing things on her own schedule," said Linda Hardwick, vice president of marketing, communications and events for the Phoenix Zoo. "She successfully raised one cub in 2013, Luka, and has been housed with several males. She endeared herself to many of her keepers (and each male bear) over the years who fell in love with her independent nature."
Recently, Rio had shown lethargy and had stopped eating, Hardwick said.
"She was anesthetized for a medical exam and the abdominal ultrasound showed dilated ureters that were partially obstructed due to a urinary bladder tumor. After careful consideration and discussion between veterinarians, curator and keeper staff about surgically removing the tumor, it was deemed that the aggressive nature of the tumor would require extensive bladder resection and is unlikely to be successful and the extensive post operative care was not feasible," Hardwick explained.
The Phoenix Zoo currently houses Agapito, or “Auggie,” a 2-year-old male Andean bear who is usually found high up in his favorite tree.
Andean bears, also known as spectacled bears due to the cream/whitish coloring around their eyes, are the only bear species native to South America. Median life expectancy for Andean bears is 26.1 years of age.
