Another Jailed Polar Bear Dead

Polar bear Anana was killed after a failed mating attempt at the Detroit Zoo yesterday.

Anana, 20 years old, was shipped to Detroit a year ago as a part of the American Association of Zoos and Aquarium's (AZA) "Polar Bear Species Survival Plan". Detroit Zoo has provided few details, but their attempt to breed her with long-time zoo resident Nuka ended in her death. The incident is now being investigated by the AZA, which thus far has accepted no responsibility for the incident despite the fact that Anana and Nuka's union was made according to their breeding plan.

The AZA zoos enjoy pretending that they are engaging in "conservation" by keeping and breeding polar bears for confinement in zoos. However, some studies suggest that the opposite may be true. The familiarity with polar bears gained by seeing them in life does not create a connection to the peril they face due to the climate crisis.

Further, polar bears are ill-suited to captivity. CWI tracks births and deaths of polar bears in zoos, and they frequently die young succumbing to liver and kidney disease.

Captivity in zoos serves zoos, not the animals.