The "star of the zoo and public favourite ... has left us. Thank you to all those who loved him and came to see him," the zoo said, mourning an "exceptional" animal.Menshikov arrived as a cub in 1989, having been captured along with his mother in Russia’s Arctic Ocean archipelago of Novaya Zemlya.The bear was paired with Uslada (Joy) and together the couple had 16 cubs between 1994 and 2013.A zoo spokesman said Menshikov and Uslada had enjoyed a relationship of "rare harmony" and were "the most popular couple" at the facility in Russia’s second city and former imperial capital.The lifespan of a polar bear typically does not exceed 25 to 30 years, so Menshikov survived well into his dotage.- AFP

Source: The Nation Bangkok October 07, 2016 15:45 UTC