Asiatic black bear donated from N. Korea dies

By Kim Se-jeong

An Asiatic black bear, which came to South Korea in 1999 as a gift from North Korea, died of old age on Tuesday, according to Seoul Zoo, Wednesday. The bear, named Eutteumi, was presumed to be 20 years old.

She was one of the five Asiatic black bears inhabiting the zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.

The zoo said it will perform an autopsy to identify the exact cause of her death. The life expectancy of Asiatic black bears is usually 25 years.

The bear was a symbol of inter-Korean cultural exchanges as the two Koreas exchanged wild, native animals in 1999. North Korea donated Eutteumi and a male bear to the South as a gift along with a tiger, red foxes and silver foxes.

Eutteumi, which was presumed to be three years old when she arrived, was blind when she got here.

During her time at the zoo, she had six cubs, two each in 2006, 2009 and 2011. One has been living with her at the zoo, while the other five were sent to Mt. Jiri for the National Park Service’s project to recover the habitat for the bears. As the bears on the mountain have bred in the wild, there are now 44 bears currently roaming around the mountain.

Her male companion bear died in December 2012, and Eutteumi began having epileptic seizures since June, according to the zoo.