Qld: Polar bear has fatal kidney disease

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2004
Qld: Polar bear has fatal kidney disease

By Dale Paget

GOLD COAST, April 19 AAP - A female polar bear set to play a key role in a breeding
program for the species in Australia is likely to be euthanased because of terminal kidney
disease.

Kanook is the original female star of Gold Coast theme park Sea World's polar bear
shores and shares the $6 million exhibit with a younger male called Ping Ping from China.

Sea World today revealed 19-year-old Kanook, who came to Australia from a zoo in Arizona
in the United States more than three years ago, had been diagnosed with kidney failure
in April last year and was unlikely to survive.

Sea World marine sciences director Trevor Long said despite treatment with steroids
her health had rapidly deteriorated over the past month.

"We can't reverse it. We are talking weeks or months," he said.

"It is going to get to a point to where she goes downhill fast."

Mr Long said she would be euthanased if her quality of life was reduced.

"She is fine at the moment but over the past month it has become increasingly difficult
to feed her," he said.

"She is not as active as what she was."

Kanook is one of four polar bears at the theme park and until recently she and Ping
Ping had shared appearance time with Russian bear cubs Lia and Lutik.

Kanook and Ping Ping were kept together in the hope they would breed, however Ping
Ping may now instead be mated with Lia.

"It's going to be a situation where Kanook is not going to be there so we have started
to introduce Ping Ping to Lia and we would like to be able to mate those two," said Mr
Long.

A year after opening Polar Bear Shores, Sea World credited Ping Ping and Kanook with
increasing visitor numbers by 20 per cent. Ping Ping is on a breeding loan and is scheduled
to be returned to China at the end of the year.

Sea World will seek to have Ping Ping's stay extended and has begun an international
search for another polar bear to replace Kanook.

AAP dp/sc/sjb/bwl

KEYWORD: KANOOK NIGHTLEAD (FILE PIX AVAILABLE)

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