Blizzard the Point Defiance Polar Bear

(None of the photos in this entry are mine - I take zero credit for them.  They are either taken from the articles I am linking in the entry, or from Google) 

Sad news hit me yesterday when I found out that Blizzard the Polar Bear at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington died on May 9th 2022. 

Blizzard was about 26 years old and considered an elderly bear.  He has been at the Point Defiance Zoo since 1997 - since he was a baby bear ... he's the close in age as my oldest son (who was born in 1996). 

Blizzard was brought to Point Defiance when he was orphaned on the Arctic tundra with no chance of survival in the wild.  He was rescued in Churchill, Canada and brought to the zoo. 

In April of 2021 Blizzard went under for a routine health exam.  They did X-rays, teeth cleaning, nail trimming, blood work and the whole nine yards on him and he came out with flying colors, a clean bill of health.  This 900 lb bear was well cared for. 

Look at those HUGE murder mittens.... PAWS, I mean paws!!  

The usual life expectancy for polar bears in the wild is 23 years according to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.

Later in the year, Fall of 2021, Blizzard was diagnosed with liver cancer.  They stated that they had caught it early and thought with chemo and pain meds, could make him comfortable and prolong his life.  

Blizzard Diagnosed with Liver Cancer  dated September 2021

Blizzard Turns 26 Years Old  They gave Blizzard a 26's ride around the Sun a big bash!  December 20, 2021

They gave him trees, a cake and tons of ice to play in.  He had a good time!! 

Earlier in they year, on February 13th 2021 Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium shared a video on Facebook of Blizzard having the BEST DAY EVER as snow blanketed our area of Washington and our elderly polar bear brought out his inner cub and rolled around in the fresh snowflakes.  I did find the video on YouTube to share. 

The tumor on Blizzard's liver grew to the size of a watermelon. Over the last week (May 1st thru 7th most likely) Blizzard's quality of life diminished quickly, to the point where they (the Zoo) had to make a heart breaking choice to humanly euthanize him. 

Point Defiance Zoo Euthanizes Blizzard

“The entire Point Defiance Zoo family is devastated by the loss of this extraordinary bear,” said Alan Varsik, the director of Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium - in an update on the zoo’s website. “Blizzard held a special place in our hearts and touched the lives of millions of people during the two decades he was with us. He inspired people to care deeply about polar bears and to take action in their own lives to reduce their carbon footprint and help protect wild polar bears.”

Blizzard also played a critical role in helping researchers learn more about his species. In early 2019, small patches of his fur were dyed black so University of Washington scientists could study the rate of polar bear hair growth in order to evaluate stress levels, contaminant exposure and nutritional needs in wild polar bears. (taken from the article linked above)

The University of Washington scientists did a study on the growth rate of polar bears fur.  They dyed his small patches of fur black in early 2019.  They felt stress levels contributed to the rate of hair growth. They also felt that contaminated exposure and nutritional needs contribute to the growth of hair in wild polar bears. 

Sheriden Ploof, Assistant Curator, one of his primary caregivers said that Blizzard had learned to participate in his own medical care. He would stick his paw through a special sleeve in his bedroom so that vital blood work could be drawn by veterinary staff at the zoo. 

He was smart and clearly an important part of not only the zoo but other research that helped aid probably not only zoo life for polar bears but also wild polar bears.  He participated in more than one study on polar bears.  

“Blizzard was feisty, smart and always eager to learn new things,” Ploof said. “He loved pouncing, playing with his big barrels, splashing in his pool, and practicing his stalking and hunting skills. He was an exceptional animal who will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him.”

On a personal note, the polar bear exhibit/habitat was one of my family's favorite places to stop at the zoo.  We usually get season passes and go there on whims and planned trips, taking "picnic" lunches with us to eat half way around the zoo (or when we get hungry).  We never know which polar bear we are seeing at the zoo (if we see them, because sometimes we don't get to see any) .... but I was personally very sad when we heard that Blizzard had cancer last year and even sadder when we learned that treatments for the cancer were not really working at all since the tumor was a fast growing tumor and didn't respond like they had hoped.  

Goodbye Blizzard, you will be missed.  

(Again the photos on this blog are not mine, I found them on the articles I linked and on Google searching specifically for photos of Blizzard and only Blizzard. I take zero credit for any of these photos specifically on this blog.)