Gritto, Salisbury Zoo's male Andean bear, dies

SALISBURY, Md. -- Gritto, the Salisbury Zoo’s 24-year-old male Andean bear, has died following several days of illness, zoo officials announced Monday.

Late on Oct. 12, Gritto suddenly exhibited stroke-like symptoms. On Oct. 13, following initial medications and staff observations, Gritto was sedated and given a physical examination by the zoo’s consulting veterinarian. The exam did not reveal any physical trauma or causes other than a probable neurological event for his symptoms.

Following his recovery from sedation, Gritto was re-evaluated on Oct. 14. He was given another round of medications in an attempt to stimulate recovery and staff continued to monitor his condition closely.

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On Oct. 15, observations indicated that while Gritto presented some modest improvement, he remained significantly debilitated. Given the poor prognosis for a recovery that would support an acceptable quality of life, the decision was made that euthanasia was the most humane option.

Gritto was born Jan. 28, 1991, at the San Diego Zoo and later transferred to the San Antonio Zoo. The Salisbury Zoo acquired Gritto in the spring of 2003 as a companion to Poopsie, a much older female bear.

After the death of Poopsie, 37, the oldest Andean bear in captivity, the zoo acquired Chaska, a female bear from the National Zoo. Gritto became the oldest male Andean bear to successfully produce offspring when he sired a cub, Alba, born Jan. 23, 2015, to 6-year old Chaska.