The first baby polar bear born at a Berlin Zoo in over two decades died suddenly earlier this week.
Fritz, who was born at the Tierpark Berlin this past November, died of liver inflammation, according to an explanation on the zoo’s website.
The 4-month-old baby bear was found listless in his den on Monday morning and was immediately separated from his mother to undergo tests, which revealed his inflamed liver. By nighttime, Fritz was dead.
“We can hardly believe it. We are devastated,” Dr Andreas Knieriem, said in a statement on the website. “It’s incredible how fond we had become of that little polar bear.”
The last baby polar bear born at the Berlin zoo was 22 years ago, officials said.
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