Payton the polar bear dies while being transported from North Carolina Zoo

ASHEBORO, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Zoo has announced the loss of male polar bear Payton.

He died on Wednesday.

Payton was being transferred to the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky as part of a polar bear breeding partnership. The transfer was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), according to a press release. Payton was accompanied by an experienced care team during the planned transfer operation.

After the care team left the North Carolina Zoo with Payton, they performed routine checks on the 1,000-pound polar bear during the trip. On the second check, less than two hours away from the North Carolina Zoo, the care team found Payton non-responsive. He was immediately transported to a nearby large animal veterinarian, who confirmed that Payton had died.

The bear was transported back to the North Carolina Zoo, where a necropsy (an animal autopsy) was conducted by Zoo veterinary staff.

According to Dr. Jb Minter, the Zoo’s Director of Animal Health, “The necropsy indicated some evidence of cardiac disease, a tumor on his adrenal gland as well as some moderate osteoarthritis in keeping with his advanced age. Tissue samples will be sent to outside laboratories for further testing to help determine the cause of his death.”

A full investigation into the incident will be conducted.

Payton arrived at the North Carolina Zoo in January 2021 to be a mate for female polar bear Anana, as recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The AZA uses a science-based approach to matching bears under human care in an attempt to foster more cub births. He had previously been at the Memphis Zoo and was born at Brookfield Zoo November 8, 2003.