Aurora, a beloved polar bear, dies at upstate New York zoo
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - A beloved polar bear has died at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York.
Director Larry Sorel says the loss of 28-year-old Aurora is "difficult for the entire zoo family."
Zoo Society President Pamela Reed Sanchez says Aurora was "an extraordinary ambassador" for her "vulnerable species."
In this Jan. 2018 photo provided by the Seneca Park Zoo Society, polar bear Aurora is seen in the snow at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York. Aurora, 28, has died of severe liver disease, the zoo reported Wednesday, March 7, 2018. Aurora was born at Utah's Hogle Zoo in 1989 and arrived at Seneca Park Zoo in 1991, where despite her illness, surpassed the life expectancy for a female polar bear by four years. (Ron Kalasinskas/Seneca Park Zoo Society via AP)
Aurora was born at Utah's Hogle Zoo in 1989 and arrived at Seneca Park Zoo in 1991.
She had severe liver disease, and her condition worsened quickly.
The zoo's director of animal health and conservation says that's not uncommon. Dr. Louis DiVincenti says the Polar Bear Species Survival Plan is working to find out what leads to the animals' tendency for liver and gall bladder disease.
Despite her illness, Aurora surpassed the life expectancy for a female polar bear by four years.
In this Aug. 2017 photo provided by the Seneca Park Zoo Society, visitors to the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York watch the zoo's polar bear, Aurora in the water. Aurora, 28, has died of severe liver disease, the zoo reported Wednesday, March 7, 2018. Aurora was born at Utah's Hogle Zoo in 1989 and arrived at Seneca Park Zoo in 1991, where despite her illness, surpassed the life expectancy for a female polar bear by four years. (Wayne Smith/Seneca Park Zoo Society via AP)
