HOUSTON – The Houston Zoo said goodbye to its last grizzly bear Monday morning. Bailey was euthanized due to complications from extensive arthritis and old age.
Bailey's keepers and zoo veterinarians said they made the difficult decision after exhausting a comprehensive treatment plan spanning the past eight years.
Keepers had modified Bailey's habitat with hopes of alleviating pain in his movements. They even re-sloped areas of the bear exhibit to reduce strain on Bailey's joints.
Bailey's brother Boomer was euthanized earlier this year. The bears were 35 years old.
They came to the Houston Zoo from the Houston SPCA in 2007. They were confiscated a year earlier from a private individual who was not taking good care of them. They had lived in tiny cages, had severe dental disease and were obese from lack of exercise. In recent years, both Boomer and Bailey had been receiving treatment for chronic arthritis.
