INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The Indianapolis Zoo said Tahtsa the polar bear has died after a lengthy battle with age-related health problems.
Zoo staff decided to euthanize Tahtsa, who at the age of 34 had been the oldest known bear in captivity or the wild, after the animal's condition deteriorated significantly this week, The Indianapolis Star said Thursday.
A necropsy on the polar bear, born Nov. 20, 1974, will be conducted to determine what caused the dramatic health decline prior to her death Wednesday.
While the Indianapolis Zoo still has a female polar bear named Tundra, the zoo would like to add another polar bear. Attempts to procure an additional polar bear could be problematic for the zoo, however, due to the limited number of polar bears in the world, The Star said.
Scientists estimate the world's total polar bear population tops off at 25,000.
