Contact: Brittanee Wallace IMC 390 Phone: (228) 313- 7950 E:bawalla1@go.olemiss. edu
OXFORD ZOO
Oxford Zoo grieves loss of Homer the polar bear 16-year-old polar bear found dead by longtime zookeeper early Monday morning
Oxford, August 23, 2016 Oxford Zoo staff found its oldest polar bear dead in its exhibit Tuesday morning and they are investigating the cause of death. “We will do everything in our power to determine how Homer died. Animal welfare and the preservation of species are our primary goals here at the zoo,” Zoo Director Chris P. Bacon said. The zoo will do a necropsy to determine the cause of death, senior Veterinarian Dr. Shanda Lear said, but the results will not be available for several weeks Sara N. Getty, the zookeeper, found Homer, a 16-year-old male, floating in the pool in his exhibit at 7 a.m., an hour after his feeding. “Homer was a very curious and playful polar bear and we will miss him terribly,” Getty said. The staff responded quickly. They removed the other two polar bears, a 9-year-old male named Yukon and a10-year-old female named McKenzie, and they are monitoring them. Polar bears have thrived at the zoo since 1985. The unique exhibit allows the bears to engage in natural behaviors, playing in manufactured snow, digging in gravel and hunting trout in the chilled pool. The bears are ambassadors for their wild relatives, educating zoo visitors about these threatened animals. ###
FOR RELEASE 11 A.M. EST, AUGUST 23, 2016