Last grey wolf at Assiniboine Park Zoo dies at 14

The last remaining grey wolf at the Assiniboine Park Zoo died earlier this week.  

Bear, 14, was euthanized on Monday after the zoo's animal care team noticed a limp and discovered a broken leg, Assiniboine Park Zoo confirmed in a Facebook post on Thursday. 

It is unknown how the fracture happened, but the zoo says Bear's "advanced age and overall condition" — grey wolves can live up to about 15 years in captivity, and about seven in the wild, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare — made euthanasia the "most humane and compassionate course of action." 

"Bear is a wolf who will be missed. Our caregivers work with our animals day in, day out … and really see them as a member of the family," said Dr. Chris Enright, senior director of zoological operations at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, a non-profit organization that oversees the zoo.

"He was a great ambassador for his kind and really helped connect people with animals." 

Bear came to the zoo in 2014 as a member of a five-wolf pack that grew old together in human care. The pack was well-loved by Winnipeggers, who shared their memories in hundreds of comments on social media.

"We always knew every day we saw him was a gift. Run free, handsome boy," one user wrote on Facebook. 

"Sincerest condolences to his care team. Bear and his pack were such a joy to watch," another wrote in an Instagram comment on the zoo's post.

Grey wolves a 'conservation success story' for zoo

Grey wolves are a "conservation success story" at Assiniboine Park Zoo, Enright says, and the animal care team is working to acquire new wolves to continue telling that tale. 

Their "big, bad wolf reputation" and status as a top predator led to the species being hunted by humans and largely pushed out of its native range over the last two centuries, he says. But they've been making a comeback in recent decades. 

"In the last 30 years, we've really found ways to bring wolves back onto the landscape where they might have been pushed away in the past," Enright says. 

"We do feel strongly that grey wolves here at Assiniboine Park Zoo are great ambassadors and really tell a great conservation story."

Now that Bear has passed, the zoo hopes to welcome new wolves to keep engaging the community and "encourage coexistence," he says.

The zoo told CBC Manitoba it can't confirm any details yet, but more information is expected soon. 

"We certainly mourn [Bear's] passing and we celebrate his life," Enright says. "He had a great life in human care and we look forward to the next chapter, here at the zoo for wolves."