UK's oldest polar bear euthanised at the age of 28

Victoria was the mother of Hamish, the first polar bear to be born in the UK for 25 years.

Wednesday 21 May 2025 11:02, UK

The UK's oldest polar bear has been euthanised due to her deteriorating health, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has said.

Victoria, who was 28, had been receiving geriatric care at the RZSS Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie.

The wildlife conservation charity's vets advised she should be euthanised after taking her quality of life and wellbeing into account.

Victoria was born at Rostock Zoo in Germany in December 1996 and first gave birth in 2008 at Aalborg Zoo in Denmark to a female named Malik.

In 2015 she moved to the Scottish park and gave birth to two male bears - Hamish in 2017 and Brodie in 2021.

Hamish was the first polar bear to be born in the UK for 25 years.

As part of the breeding programme for the species, Hamish was moved to Yorkshire Wildlife Park in November 2020.

David Field, RZSS chief executive, said: "Victoria was an excellent mother and seeing her bring up two big, healthy boys has been a joy for our charity's dedicated teams and the hundreds of thousands of visitors who have flocked to see the family, and learn more about the threats these amazing animals face in the wild."

Victoria was euthanised on Tuesday morning.

RZSS said that in the wild only a small percentage of polar bears live past 18 and described Victoria's age as "testament to the world-class care she received from her keepers and veterinary team".

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