Escaped polar bear killed at zoo

  • 2007-09-12
  • By Joel Alas
TALLINN - A polar bear that escaped its enclosure at Tallinn Zoo died after being tranquilized by handlers attempting to return it to its cage.
The bear, a 20-year old male named Franz, slipped from his barred enclosure shortly after midday on Sept. 8.
Zoo officials said human error was to blame 's a keeper forgot to lock the door after cleaning out Franz's cage.
Franz walked out of his enclosure and was spotted between the cage and the safety barrier. Several people were nearby when Franz made his escape, one of whom captured the incident on video.
Keepers quickly shot Franz with a tranquilizing dart and lifted him back into the enclosure. However, his heart failed during the anesthetization, and he died shortly after.

Franz had been one of the zoo's most popular attractions since his arrival in 1988. He was taken as a cub from Franz Josef Land, an island in the Arctic Ocean in Russia's far north.
A Tallinn Zoo spokeswoman described Franz as "a good breeder" who produced three offspring. Two of his cubs were taken to Chinese zoos, while another lives in Kaunas, Lithuania. His fourth cub, Frida, remains at Tallinn Zoo, alongside her mother Vaida, who was Franz's mate.
Polar bears are known as one of the most dangerous animals on earth, and video sharing websites carry several clips of Franz attacking the bars of his enclosure.
Tallinn Zoo is now dealing with the fallout from the incident.
The facility has often been accused of keeping its animals in depressing enclosures 's in the case of the polar bears, their home was a brick-walled box with a small play pool.

One viewer on the Internet site YouTube expressed his disappointment with the facilities. "I'm shocked. This is such a blatant case of animal exploitation. Polar bears are intelligent sensitive animals and should be treated with respect. They are keeping this lovely creature in an area that is dismal and inadequate. Absolutely disgraceful," the viewer wrote.
For its part, Tallinn Zoo said staff were highly affected by the incident. "The keeper of Franz fell ill after the shock," the spokeswoman said.