TACOMA — Glacier, a polar bear at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, has been diagnosed with liver cancer and heart disease.
The News Tribune newspaper reported that veterinarians are working with specialists to craft a treatment plan for the 19-year-old polar bear.
Glacier came to the zoo in 1997 after being orphaned in the wild. The health problems were initially discovered as a result of a routine Feb. 21 physical examination. The zoo said a follow-up electrocardiogram confirmed the heart issues, and an abdominal ultrasound test showed a malignant liver tumor.
The zoo says that according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the median life expectancy for a male polar bear in the wild is a little under 21 years.
Point Defiance has two other polar bears — 19-year-old Blizzard and 29-year-old Boris. They are on exhibit in the zoo’s Arctic Tundra area.
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