Illness Forces Euthanization Of Beloved SF Zoo Polar Bear

San Francisco Zoo officials were in mourning Friday following the euthanization of the facility’s beloved 27-year-old polar bear, Andy, who was suffering from liver failure.

Officials said Andy recently began to show signs of lethargy, decreased appetite and disorientation, forcing veterinary staff and caretakers to begin monitoring her condition closely and encouraging her to eat and drink fluids.

Within 24 hours, however, she took a dramatic turn for the worse and became unresponsive to keepers, was visually uncomfortable and had a distended belly.

. Andy recovered from the anesthesia, but it was clear that she was in severe discomfort and had already lost her quality of life to an irreversible medical condition.

"This is always the hardest decision, but everyone feels this is the right decision for Andy," stated Tanya Peterson, executive director and president of the San Francisco Zoo. "Andy was an ambassador for her species and she will be deeply missed by everyone."

A gross necropsy was performed and Andy had a severely enlarged liver and lymph nodes, a mass at the base of her heart and an enlarged spleen.

Andy had been a member of the Zoo family since 1985. She was born at Zoo Atlanta on Christmas Day in 1982 and was hand reared by caretakers in Atlanta. Andy spent her days with her companion Piké and loved pears and peanut butter. Keepers, guests and visitors will remember her as the bear that joyfully played in donated "snow" this past winter.