On Saturday, Como Park Zoo & Conservatory in St.
Paul Minnesota announced on Facebook that its longtime resident polar bear Buzz has died.
The Facebook post reads:
“It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of Como’s beloved polar bear, Buzz. Buzz’s health declined due to suspected neurological issues and after all treatment options were exhausted with the animal care and veterinary team, the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the 24-year-old bear was made.
Buzz, and twin brother Neil, were born December in 1995 at the Louisville Zoo and came to Como Zoo in 2001 from San Diego. They were named for the Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
Buzz enjoyed rolling in the dirt, patrolling the exhibit, and bossing around his brother. He was an active participant in the zoo’s operant conditioning training program and was the third polar bear in the country to allow zookeepers to draw blood voluntarily (Neil was the second).
Buzz has been a proud ambassador of conservation and will be missed by all.”
Buzz is 24 years old and had suffered health problems due to suspected neurological issues. The zoo’s animal care and veterinary team exhausted treatment options, and then made the “difficult decision to humanely euthanize” him.
Buzz and his twin brother, Neil, were born in 1995 at the Louisville Zoo and named after the Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Arms.
Hundreds of park supporters reacted to news of Buzz’s passing by sharing memories of the bear on the zoo’s Facebook page.
“We will all miss Buzz he has touched so many of us!! He lived a great life at Como and taught so many people about saving sea ice,” Becky McGowan wrote.
Aside from being a prime attraction, Buzz was also an ambassador of conservation.