Zookeepers treat ailing Winnipeg polar bear to cupcakes, chocolate

She looks a little rough, but the Assiniboine Park Zoo's polar bear Debby, famous for being the oldest living polar bear in the world, is dealing better than expected with health issues that threatened her life earlier this year, zoo officials said Thursday.

Zookeepers feared the worst for the 41-year-old after a series of strokes over several months started taking its toll earlier this year.

Officials informed the public about Debby's ailing health in August so people who enjoy seeing her could return for one more visit.

Debby's keeper, Bob Sydor, said Friday that the bear's weight is a continuing problem: she's too thin. Caregivers have been offering her cupcakes and chocolate to entice her to pack on the pounds.

"Just recently, in the last half year or so, she's started to really like sweet things," he said.  "It's not the best food for bears, but at least it's something that she'll take and she really likes, and it'll hopefully give her some weight for the winter that's coming up."

Debby is kept inside when she's not feeling well, Sydor said.

"Other days, she'll eat a lot of food and she'll be energetic and she'll walk around and do her regular stuff, so it's kind of hit-and-miss as to, you know, when she'll feel well or when she won't feel well."  

Orphan Russian cub

An orphan cub from the Russian Arctic, Debby came to the Assiniboine Park Zoo in 1967. She produced six surviving offspring with longtime mate Skipper, who died in 1999 at age 34.

Few polar bears reach 20 years of age in the wild, but many have survived into their early 30s in captivity.

Officials said Debby is "without a doubt" the most popular animal in the zoo's 104-year history, with more than 18 million visitors.

It could take years for the zoo to acquire a new polar bear, since the current bear enclosure is not up to provincial standards and the waiting lists for bear cubs for zoos are long.