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Inuka, Singapore’s last polar bear, put to sleep on 'humane grounds'

SINGAPORE — The Republic’s last polar bear, Inuka, was put to sleep at 9.30am on Wednesday (April 25) on "humane grounds", after a health examination showed that the ailing bear’s condition failed to improve significantly despite intensive treatment.

Inuka, the first polar bear to be born in the tropics, seen at the Singapore Zoo on Thursday (April 12). Its health is declining markedly, the Singapore Zoo said in a statement.

Inuka, the first polar bear to be born in the tropics, seen at the Singapore Zoo on Thursday (April 12). Its health is declining markedly, the Singapore Zoo said in a statement.

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SINGAPORE — The Republic’s last polar bear, Inuka, was put to sleep at 9.30am on Wednesday (April 25) on "humane grounds", after a health examination showed that the ailing bear’s condition failed to improve significantly despite intensive treatment.

Announcing the news at a press conference on Wednesday (April 25), the Zoo said Inuka’s care team – comprising vets and keepers – jointly made the “difficult but necessary decision to not revive him from anaesthesia on humane grounds” after its second health examination in three weeks.

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Members of the public can sign on a tribute wall, which is expected to be put up at the amphitheatre outside Inuka’s Frozen Tundra exhibit on Thursday, the Zoo added.

A private memorial service will be held on Thursday for the 27-year-old bear, but it will not be buried.

As per the Zoo’s practice, Inuka’s body will undergo a full autopsy to “add to the knowledge of science”, said Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s deputy chief executive officer and chief life sciences officer Cheng Wen-Haur, with the possibility of keeping part of its body for “future education purposes”.

Dr Cheng added its exhibit will be refurbished and redesigned for a potential sea lions exhibit.

Inuka, the first polar bear born in the tropics, had been suffering from arthritis, dental issues and occasional ear infections for the past five years. But recently, it started to exhibit a stiffer gait, especially on its hind limbs.

A health check on April 3 revealed additional problems, which led to significant decline in its health.

Inuka’s ailing limbs meant that it could not properly support its weight of over 500kg, resulting in ulcerations on its paw pads, which in turn led to deeper infection between its toes.

It also had a wound on its lower abdomen, likely caused by urine burns from incontinence and recurring urinary tract infections.

After the April 3 examination, the vets tried to treat its condition with specific painkillers and antibiotics added to its daily care regime, on top of long-term glucosamine and anti-inflammatory treatment for its arthritis.

However, Wednesday’s examination showed that the open wounds on its paws and abdomen failed to improve.

The wounds, which were quite deep, would have caused the bear pain and discomfort, said the Zoo, and would only be aggravated as its arthritis worsened.

Assistant director of veterinary services Abraham Mathew added that while they managed to help Inuka manage the infection with antibiotics, they were unable to “help him with the pressure source he was getting on his paw pads”.

Given that its health and welfare state were compromised, the Zoo said the “responsible course of action was not to prolong Inuka’s suffering”.

“Our decision to let Inuka go was made with the knowledge that his health issues have seriously impacted his welfare.

“As much as we would like to keep Inuka with us for as long as possible, our ultimate responsibility is his welfare. Beyond a point where we can ensure a good quality of life for Inuka, the greater kindness would be to relieve him of his suffering,” said Dr Cheng.

The bear was administered with anaesthesia at 7am for the health check, and injected with an additional chemical to put it to sleep after the team came to a unanimous decision following the examination. By 9.30am, Inuka was gone.

Choking back tears, deputy head keeper Mohan Ponichamy, who was also one of Inuka’s primary caregiver, said it was a “difficult and emotional decision”, but it was “best for Inuka’s sake”.

“Singaporeans have known Inuka from the time he was a cub, and have seen him growing up and ageing. Many of us grew up with him."

"It has been a privilege and honour being his caregiver, but difficult as it may be, it would not have been fair to prolong his suffering,” he said, adding that the bear’s condition had “gotten from bad to worse” despite the team’s efforts to manage its condition in different ways.

The bear was kept isolated from Tuesday for the health check, and it was still “fine and responsive” and could still follow signals, said Mr Mohan.

The keepers also spent the entire night with Inuka to make sure that “he was really comfortable”.

“We would like to thank the many people who showed their love and concern for Inuka, especially this past month. We will miss our Inuka dearly and it will take some time to get used to not seeing him readily waiting to greet us every morning,” he said.

At 27 years old, Inuka was well into its 70s in human years, and had surpassed the 25-year average lifespan of polar bears under human care.

The average life expectancy of male polar bears in the wild is between 15 and 18 years.

Born on Dec 26, 1990, in the Singapore Zoo, the keepers used to refer to Inuka as the “best Christmas present”. It was the fourth polar bear to call the zoo home, and was also the last.

The zoo had previously announced that polar bears will no longer be part of its exhibits, following discussions with its Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee in 2006.

“This is in line with the Zoo’s stronger focus on featuring tropical wildlife and threatened South-east Asian species in need of ex-situ management programmes.”

First brought into Singapore in 1978, Inuka’s parents, Nanook and Sheba, were the first two polar bears to call the zoo home, followed by a third bear, Anana.

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