World's oldest brown bear dies in Russian zoo

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A brown bear believed to have been the oldest in the world has died at the age of 35 at a zoo in St. Petersburg, the zoo said on Wednesday.

Varvara, a 35-year-old brown bear, has died at the Leningrad Zoo in Russia's northern capital of St. Petersburg. [Photo/Leningrad Zoo]

The 35-year-old Varvara was a star attraction at the Leningrad Zoo in Russia's northern capital of St. Petersburg The female bear was born in the zoo in 1979.

Thirty-five years old is considered as a record age for a brown bear, a zoo spokesperson was quoted by Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

"Animals live longer in zoos where they are exposed to no dangers, enjoy diverse good options and good healthcare," the spokesperson said.

In a statement posted on Russian social media site VK, the zoo staff thanked the loyal base of visitors who kept Varvara going over more than three decades.

The medium life span for brown bears in the wild is 15 to 20 years. No other bear of Varvara's age is known to exist in captivity anywhere else in the world.

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