Philadelphia Zoo's polar bear 'Klondike' dies

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Zoo announced that its beloved polar bear, Klondike, has died.

The 34-year-old female was euthanized Friday morning due to her declining health, the zoo said.

Her problems included trouble standing and walking after lying down. Despite treatment for he mobility issues, "there was no significant improvement in her condition."

"Given her advanced age and poor prognosis for return to a good quality of life, zoo staff decided that the best decision would be to humanely euthanatize her," said zoo officials in a statement.

Zoo officials note that, at 34 years old, Klondike exceeded the typical lifespan for her species and was the oldest polar bear in the country at the time of her death.

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Klondike was born at the Bronx Zoo in November 1980. She arrived at the Philadelphia Zoo in October 1981 where she resided in the Zoo's Bear Country exhibit with another female polar bear, Coldilocks.

During her many years in Philadelphia, Klondike remained one of the Zoo's most popular animals, often delighting visitors by diving around into her 125,000 gallon pool.

"We are very sad for this loss-Klondike was a very popular resident at Philadelphia Zoo," says Kevin Murphy, General Curator.

"She received great care from her keepers and the veterinary staff during her long and very healthy life here. She will be greatly missed by our staff. In addition to the joy she brought guests over more than three decades, she has been an important ambassador to wild polar bears, who are increasingly threatened by climate change and resulting shrinkage of polar ice. We hope she has inspired many to make commitments in their daily lives to reduce energy and water use, which will contribute to efforts to slow climate change."

The Philadelphia Zoo is home to an additional polar bear that arrived and lived with Klondike. She is also elderly at 34 years of age, and with Klondike's death becomes the oldest polar bear in the U.S. A typical lifespan for polar bear in zoos is approximately 24 years.