17-year-old polar bear dies at Reid Park Zoo

Snow, a 17-year-old polar bear who arrived at the Reid Park Zoo in February, died Monday.

A zookeeper originally thought Snow was asleep when she went to check on her around 7 a.m. Monday because she was in her normal sleeping position and location, said Vivian VanPeenen, curator of education.

Zoo officials hope to determine Snow's cause of death through a necropsy, but it will be several weeks before the final results are available, VanPeenen said.

Polar bears in captivity typically live between 20 and 25 years, but Snow suffered from the bone-weakening ailment rickets and a skin condition.

The rickets caused Snow to suffer several broken bones throughout her life, including her legs and hips.

"We did not consider her a geriatric bear, but because of her chronic health conditions she was always on our minds and in our observations," VanPeenen said.

Snow swam Sunday and ate well, VanPeenen said.

"I'm extremely proud of the care Snow received from our team," Jim Schnormeier, the zoo's general curator, said in a news release. "Although Snow had chronic health concerns, our staff did everything possible to provide her with a great quality of life."

In Snow's final months she experienced a great deal of relief from her skin condition.

In a June Arizona Daily Star story, zookeeper Alisha Brewer said Snow's skin allergies were so bad that the folks at SeaWorld Orlando couldn't put her on display.

The 500-pound bear had a patchy pelt because she was so itchy, but within a month of arriving in Tucson, doctors were able to cut her medication in half, Brewer said.

Snow loved fishsickles, swimming in her three pools and rolling around in the grass, Brewer said at the time.

Snow and her twin brother, Klondike, were born at the Denver Zoo but were transferred to SeaWorld Orlando at the age of 1. While at SeaWorld, the pair were kept in separate quarters, which were entirely indoors.

VanPeenen said zoo officials will talk with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums about the possibility of replacing Snow.

Zoo visitors are encouraged to send their condolences and share their memories of Snow on the zoo's Facebook page.

Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com