Oldest Zoo Idaho grizzly bear, Stripes, euthanized due to declining health
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POCATELLO — Zoo Idaho announced Wednesday its oldest resident grizzly bear, Stripes, had to be euthanized due to her declining health.
A press release from the zoo revealed animal care staff recognized over the winter that her mobility was declining. They took extra measures after that to make sure she was safe and comfortable.
Stripes lived to be 34 years old, surpassing the typical grizzly bear’s typical lifespan. A grizzly usually lives to be between 20 to 25 years old.
Lead Zookeeper Ashlee Jenkins, who wrote the press release, said on April 19, “all staff made the unimaginably difficult decision to humanely euthanize her for quality of life reasons. While Stripes was still moving around some, it was clear her mobility would not improve.”
“It was determined to be the best decision for her after all the wonderful years she gave as a representative of her species,” Jenkins said.
Zoo Superintendent Peter Pruett said they waited to make this announcement because “she meant a whole lot to our team, and with a loss like this, even though we knew it was coming up, we still wanted to give (them) some time to process this loss.”
He said the zoo will be open on Saturday, and the staff will be comfortable listening to people’s stories about Stripes and answering questions, “we just wanted to give everyone needed time.”
Before this decision, Stripes had been on supplements and medications for arthritis, and “those seemed to be doing well for her up until recently,” Jenkins said.
Stripes came to Zoo Idaho in 1991 from Columbus, Ohio. She was two years old and had come from a breeding program that Jenkins said was designed to keep grizzly bear populations healthy after the species was classified as threatened in 1975.
Stripes moved to the current grizzly bear exhibit when it was newly built in 2012, located on the zoo’s upper level.
“Stripes was so much more than entertainment and good company for her staff,” Jenkins said. “She was an impressive and incredible animal.”
Jenkins said her caretakers remember her fondly as “being full of sass and spunk.”
Stripes loved eating sweets like grapes and honey but also ate game meat, fish or yam. Some things she enjoyed doing was floating around in the pool and the occasional wrestling match with her boomer ball.
“There was never a dull moment with Stripes, from watching her play in the water, take a nice nap, or play with a neat stick or rock she found,” said Jenkins.
Pruett said there is a cottonwood tree trunk in the grizzly exhibit that she would sleep on or behind.
“So if you couldn’t see stripes on the exhibit, she was sleeping on the ground behind the tree,” Pruett said. “Every so often she decided that she wanted to lay on top of the log and go to sleep… in the nice warm summer sun.”
There will be an interactive memorial set up near the grizzly bear exhibit to honor Stripes.
“The staff at Zoo Idaho is forever grateful for the many years they got to learn from and cherish her presence,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said Stripes also made an impression on the many visitors who saw her at the zoo, “being a great ambassador for her species.”
“The hope is that her time at Zoo Idaho will continue to be a reminder of how important conservation efforts are for these amazing animals,” Jenkins said.