THE JAPAN NEWS
 
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The oldest male polar bear in Japan has died at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo. He was 26 years and 11 months old.
 
According to the zoo in Taito Ward, the bear named Yukio died on Tuesday from acute pancreatitis. The life span of polar bears is said to be about 30 years.
 
Yukio was born in Germany, and he arrived at Ueno Zoo in June 2000. He had long lived with his mate, Reiko, but the female bear died in February 2012.
 
In April 2012, Yukio moved to Kushiro Zoo in Hokkaido for breeding, but he could not get along well with Tsuyoshi, the zoo’s female bear. The breeding between the two was not sucessful.
 
Yukio returned to Ueno Zoo in April this year. He looked healthy, but he lost his appetite several days ago. The zoo stopped exhibiting him on Saturday. A zookeeper confirmed he was dead at around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the zoo.