The world's oldest-known wild bear has died, reportedly of old age, at 39-1/2.
The female black bear, known to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources researchers as Bear No. 56, was found in a secluded wooded location by DNR bear researcher Karen Noyce, who tracked her by using the signal from the bear's radio collar.
From all indications, Bear No. 56 died a quiet death, with no evidence of injury or struggle.
"We knew she was getting feeble," Noyce said. "It would have been sad to find her on the side of the road somewhere, hit by a car. After following her all these years, I’m glad to know she died peacefully. It was a fitting death for a fine old bear." Noyce had been involved in the first capture of Bear No. 56 in 1981.
Bear No. 56 outlived any radio-collared bear of any species in the world -- the second-oldest was a brown bear that lived to age 34. She also outlived by 19 years all of the 360 other radio-collared black bears that Minnesota DNR researchers have followed since the bear research program began in 1981.
"This is the first bear in our study to die of old age, and there is something satisfying in that," said Noyce.
Researchers attribute Bear No. 56's survival to a few factors, including that her home range was located in an area with few people or major roads, as well as just plain luck.
"Getting this information about this bear has taken a lot of effort," said Dave Garshelis, DNR bear project leader. "It was not just documenting that she lived to be so old, but understanding how she was able to live to be so much older than other bears that made this incredibly interesting and useful."
-- Kelly Burgess
Image of Bear No. 56 roaming the woods in June 2013 courtesy of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
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