Ralph Mitchell Zoo in Independence have lost a member of its animal family.

 

Officials announced on Saturday that one of the zoo’s Syrian brown bears has died. The female bear named Malika recently had a bi-annual veterinary exam that included blood work, weighing, and a detal exam and required her to be sedated for her safety and the vet’s. However, when the animal woke up, she struggled with the aftereffects of the sedation. Malika became unable to eat and grew weaker. Experts from Kansas State University were called in and a variety of treatments were tried. Staff at the zoo ultimately decided it would be more humane to euthanize Malika than to allow her to continue to suffer.

 

Tests conducted after her death revealed a kidney infection that was undetected prior to Malika being sedated. Wild animals often hide symptoms of being sick or injured as a survival instinct to protect themselves from predators. While the sedation did not cause Malika’s health to rapidly decline, it likely caused the infection to worsen.

 

The bear was 12 years old. Syrian brown bears in the wild have a life span of 20 to 25 years. Malika leaves behind her two sisters at the zoo, Samara and Amalia.