An elderly polar bear that recently came to the Detroit Zoo from the Indianapolis Zoo died Monday. Tundra was one of the oldest polar bears in captivity.
Detroit Zoo officials said Tundra, a 29-year-old female, had been seriously ill on Sunday and declined overnight. Zoo officials say she had exceeded the species' typical life spans in the wild and in zoos. The zoo euthanized the animal Monday.
Tundra was moved in June to the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, Michigan, after the Indianapolis Zoo closed its polar bear exhibit. The animal joined other polar bears, foxes and seals at the Detroit Zoo's Arctic Ring of Life exhibit, which has four acres of indoor and outdoor habitat.
A necropsy is planned to learn why Tundra's health was failing.