Polar bear Dixon died at the Moscow Zoo – Kommersant
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A polar bear named Dixon, who had been undergoing rehabilitation there since September 2022, died at the Moscow Zoo. Zoo press service reportedthat the bear died in his sleep from acute cardiopulmonary failure. He arrived at the zoo from Dikson Island (Krasnoyarsk Territory) with multiple head bruises and gunshot wounds, which left his hind legs paralyzed.
“Dixon’s passing is a blow to our entire zoo family. But our souls are warmed by the knowledge that we were able to give our rescued one more year of life,” the press service said in a statement.
The zoo said Dixon had been getting worse recently. “He developed shortness of breath, began to eat less and went out into his outdoor enclosure less often,” the report notes. According to the zoo’s veterinarians, Dixon’s condition worsened due to the progression of spinal cord lesions.
On September 3, 2022, the bear was discovered in the village of Dikson, Krasnoyarsk Territory, by local residents. The bear was transported to Norilsk with the financial support of Norilsk Nickel, and on September 6 he began rehabilitation at the Moscow Zoo. The bear was then diagnosed with paralysis of the back of its body due to a broken spine and gunshots.
The village of Dikson is one of the northernmost settlements in Russia. It is located on the shores of the Kara Sea in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Part of the village is on the mainland, part is on Dikson Island. You can only get to the island by sea or by plane.
On September 16, the chief coordinator of projects for the conservation of Arctic biodiversity of WWF Russia (recognized as undesirable in the Russian Federation) Varvara Semenova spoke “Lente.ru”that such problems happen all the time on Dikson Island. Among the reasons, the expert named the feeding of predators by local residents, poaching, and the absence of a “bear patrol” on the island. According to her, the main problem is the lack of environmental education among the island’s population.
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