Adieu to Snow Lilly

 

Snow Lilly in her element.

Snow Lilly's many friends and fans are in mourning the loss of this very special older bear. She was known for her basketball skills, juggling a bright ball above water, and dribbling a ball on the floor of her pool. She was quite  advanced in years, the oldest polar bear in North America, second in age only to Katjuscha of the Berlin Zoo by just a few weeks, but she had kept up her activities, and seemed to be living her best life, right up to the end.  

Snow Lily goes for the win.

Snow Lilly has finished her last ball game. She died on Friday, September 24. 

Snow Lilly

Snow Lilly was born December 5, 1984 in the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, to Penny and Nicklee. She lived in the New York Bronx Zoo from 1985 to 2005. Her older sister Coldilocks died in 2019 at the age of 37.

Snow Lilly watching the sea lions get their fish. She wanted some too.

Her mate was the late Blizzard, brother of the late Little One of the Cincinnati Zoo. In 1991 Snow Lilly gave birth to a boy cub, Tundra, in the Bronx Zoo. Tundra died in 2017, after living his whole life in the Bronx Zoo.

Lots of ball action when Snow Lilly was around.

Snow Lilly moved from New York to the Milwaukee County Zoo in 2005, where she lived with Zero, who had been born there in 1989, and then with rescued circus bear Wilhelm. I visited in 2013, and first saw Snow Lilly on her own during the morning.  She went in, and Wilhelm appeared for the afternoon shift. Snow Lilly wanted to have her own space, so the bears took turns.

Snow Lilly

Snow Lilly was a bear who knew how to have fun, especially with a ball. Her keepers gave her lavish birthday parties with special treats, her favorite was crab legs, and she delighted in opening her presents. 

Snow Lilly at her 36th birthday party, opening gifts.
 Photo courtesy of Michelle Rippey

Snow Lilly loved her balls.

Snow Lilly had many fans, and will be greatly missed. There are now no polar bears in the Milwaukee County Zoo. The end of an era. 

Snow Lilly surveying her kingdom back in 2013.

Farewell, lovely lady.

Snow Lily has a party for her 36th birthday

Snow Lily. Photos by Michelle Rippey

Photos by Michelle Rippey

Thanks to photographer Michelle Rippey, who frequently visits Snow Lily in Milwaukee for giving permission to share her wonderful photos of the Birthday Bear.

It is rare for a polar bear to reach her 36th birthday. This year we have three such ladies: Katjuscha in Berlin Zoo in Germany on November 16, Snow Lily in the Milwaukee County Zoo on December 5, and Winnie in Uni Zoo in Sendai Japan on December 15. These three lady bears are the oldest in the world.

Katjuscha was born in Zoo Karlsruhe to Nadine and Willie. She has a younger sister, Antonia, the only dwarf bear in the world, who now lives in Gelsenkirchen Zoom in Germany and is 31 years old.

Snow Lily was born to Penny and Nicklee in Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester NY. With her mate Blizzard she had a cub, Tundra in 1991, but he died in 2017 in the Bronx Zoo. Snow Lilly has lived in Milwaukee since 2005. 

Winnie was the only cub of the legendary Debby and Skipper in Winnipeg Canada. Debby lived to be 42 years old, a record. Winnie was sent to Japan when she was just under 9 months old.

  

Snow Lily makes her grand entrance to the Birthday Party 

Snow Lilly enjoyed a little pre-birthday party recently. She is a very active bear, and loves to interact with visitors. She also likes to show off her treats and toys to visitors.

Some shrimp flavored treats . She was hoping for crab legs

Her treats were served on a little table and chair set

She later carried one of the chairs into her den

Frozen treats

Here she is showing off her frozen chunk to visitors 

Time for a swim. She is delighted

The Milwaukee County Zoo has a great underwater viewing area 

Shake it off

Snow Lily loves to play with balls. Sometimes basketball dribbling underwater

You might see Snow Lily spelled as Snow Lilly sometimes. Her name is spelled with one "l" by the zoo, and two in the studbook. Either way is fine with her.

Happy 36th birthday, Snow Lily. Maybe you will get crab legs today. Your favorite.