Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen euthanized Huggies, the oldest polar bear in the Netherlands, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
The 32-year-old female bear suffered from severe and untreatable age-related health complications.
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The zoo announced the decision on its social media channels. Huggies had advanced osteoarthritis and significant wear on her teeth.
According to the zoo, her prescribed painkillers were no longer effective. She continued to lose weight despite being fed separately from the other bears.
"Zo had ze aanzienlijke slijtage aan haar gebit en vergevorderde artrose. De pijnstillers die ze voor haar artrose kreeg, leken niet meer te helpen.
Daarnaast bleef ze afvallen, ondanks dat ze apart van de andere ijsberen werd gevoerd. Daarom is besloten Huggies te euthanaseren," the zoo stated.
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Huggies arrived at the Rhenen zoo as a cub in 1994. She was discovered in the wild without her mother.
During her early days, she lived alongside a brown bear cub of the same age named Björna, who still resides in the zoo's bear forest.
Genetic Importance and Legacy
Because of her wild origins, Huggies' genetics held extraordinary value for the international polar bear management program. She contributed critical genetic diversity to the population.
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Huggies successfully produced 11 offspring, including a set of triplets. She became a great-grandmother as her descendants continued to reproduce.
