Toledo Zoo's Beloved Polar Bear Marty Dies Due To Kidney Disease

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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A polar bear who was a fixture at the Toledo Zoo for more than two decades has died due to kidney disease.

Michael Frushour, the zoo's curator of mammals, told The Toledo Blade that the bear named Marty was euthanized on Nov. 4, less than a month shy of his 25th birthday, Marty had been diagnosed a couple of years ago with what Frushour described as "age-related kidney disease."

Zoo officials had recently noticed that Marty wasn't eating as much as usual and had become less active. An examination determined his kidneys were now functioning very poorly, so they decided to have him euthanized.

Marty was born in late 1996 and came to the Toledo Zoo from Chicago in 1999. In 2007, he went to the Pittsburgh Zoo for a year before he returned to Toledo.

Marty and the Toledo Zoo's female polar bear, Crystal, had several cubs together, and zoo officials believe Crystal — who turns 23 this week — may be pregnant again.

The zoo hopes to replace Marty with another male polar bear, though it's not yet clear when that might happen.