PRESS STATEMENT July 16, 2021 a Sad Notification the Alaska Zoo Is Saddened to Notify the Public That the Time Has Come to Say G
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PRESS STATEMENT July 16, 2021 A Sad Notification The Alaska Zoo is saddened to notify the public that the time has come to say goodbye to long time and much-loved zoo resident Jake the brown bear. ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Alaska Zoo is profoundly sad to announce the death of Jake the brown bear. Jake was the oldest known brown bear living in captivity at 39 years of age. Zookeepers have been taking note of Jake’s quality of life and have been concerned about his health in the last few weeks including decreasing mobility. They kept him comfortable this week and continued to watch and evaluate his condition alongside the zoo’s Veterinarian. The difficult decision was made to help Jake pass away peacefully with his caregivers at his side while he could still be kept relatively comfortable. Jake arrived at the zoo in 1982 as an orphan cub of that year. Zoo staff, volunteers and visitors across the Alaska (and world) have fond memories of Jake. In his younger years, he waved to visitors and played with enrichment in his habitat. He would hunt for frozen fruit and popsicles in his habitat hidden by zoo campers, participate in trying to open bear resistant cans on Bear Aware days and lounge in the sun. In his later years, he was joined by Oreo and Izzy, both of whom he would spar with. In the past couple of years, staff noticed Jake slowing down but he was still in good health. We will all remember the roars that would echo through the zoo in the early morning hours as Jake and Izzy would stand toe to toe having loud play sessions. “The hardest part about working with animals is that their lifespan is never as long as we want it to be. We are grateful for the years we had with Jake and take comfort in knowing that he was loved by so many people over the years and that everything was done to make him as comfortable as possible,” Says Pay Lampi the Alaska Zoo’s long time Executive Director who helped to care for Jake when he first started at the zoo 35 years ago. About the Alaska Zoo The Alaska Zoo is a nonprofit organization that has provided a home for orphaned, injured and captive-born animals for 51 years. Open year-round, the zoo is dedicated to promoting conservation of Arctic and sub-Arctic species through education, research, and community enrichment. More information on admission rates, annual memberships, history, animals and more is available at www.alaskazoo.org. # # # Media Contact: Pat Lampi, Executive Director [email protected] 907.341.6427 .