“I wish we understood what happened yesterday with the polar bears,” Detroit Zoo Chief Life Sciences Officer Scott Carter said. “We don’t understand exactly what happened that caused the conflict that resulted in her death. We are trying to learn as much as we can. The male that she was with has been with other females. He’s the father of the little cubs that we have now. He’s never shown behavior like this towards a female before.”
Carter said both polar bears lived together during the breeding season from March through October of last year.
“When bears and other large carnivores breed, it is sometimes described in nature as an aggressive encounter. It usually involves physical control of the female by the male, which usually includes him holding her by the back of her neck,” Carter said.
Carter said they separated the bears for some time because polar bears like to be on their own. They recently reunited the bears for this year’s breeding season.
“They lived together fine up until yesterday,” Carter said.
The zoo said tissue samples from Anana have been sent to several labs.
