Male polar bear kills female in mating attempt after months apart, Detroit Zoo says

A female polar bear died during a mating attempt at the Detroit Zoo, officials say.

Nuka, a 16-year-old male polar bear, killed 20-year-old Anana on Monday after they were reintroduced for breeding, officials say. Last year, Nuka and Anana lived together “without showing any aggression,” but they had spent the last several months apart, officials say.

“This was completely unexpected and the Detroit Zoo staff is devastated by the loss of Anana in this sudden and tragic event,” Detroit Zoological Society Chief Life Sciences Officer Scott Carter said in a news release.

In November, Nuka fathered cubs with 8-year-old mother Suka. The twin cubs were the first to be born and raised at the Detroit Zoo since 2004, officials said. Suka is in a private den with one of her cubs.

Officials say Nuka has lived and bred with several female polar bears since arriving at the zoo in 2011 without exhibiting harmful behavior.

The zoo reintroduced Nuka and Anana for the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Polar Bear Species Survival Plan, a population management and conservation program to sustain a healthy population.