A female polar bear was killed by a male polar bear at the Detroit Zoo on Monday after a breeding attempt went awry, according to a statement from the Detroit Zoo.
Twenty-year-old Anana died when 16-year-old Nuka was mating with her, according to the Detroit Zoological Society.
Zoological Society Chief Life Sciences Officer Scott Carter said the two bears lived together in 2020 without any incidents but had since been living separate.
“This was completely unexpected and the Detroit Zoo staff is devastated by the loss of Anana in this sudden and tragic event,” Carter said, according to the press release.
The DZS is saddened by the sudden loss of polar bear Anana. She died on February 8 during a sudden and unexpected conflict with male polar bear Nuka. The bears have lived together for many months without showing aggression towards one another. Read more: https://t.co/MJd9gCHORr pic.twitter.com/VUG56sXFo8
— Detroit Zoo (@detroitzoo) February 9, 2021
Nuka has been living at the zoo since 2011 and has been bred with other female bears “without showing harmful behavior,” the zoo said. (RELATED: Zoo Offers To Name Cockroach Fed To Animals After Patrons’ Exes For Valentine’s Day)
Anana only recently joined the zoo in January of 2020 and met Nuka in March of the same year.
The duo were reintroduced to each other last week as part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Polar Bear Species Survival Plan, a program meant to ensure “the sustainability of healthy captive animal populations,” according to the Detroit Zoo.
The program allows endangered animals to procreate, with the Detroit Zoo noting that the program has been successful in the past. Nuka fathered twin cubs recently, according to the zoo.
The zoo said the last time an animal was killed by another animal was in 1988, which also involved polar bears.
The Daily Caller has reached out to the Detroit Zoo but did not receive a response at the time of publication.