Alcor, a polar bear who underwent major surgery at Penn's George D. Widener Veterinary Hospital, died August 21 on his way back to Ohio.
He was brought to Penn because of severe fractures to his right front leg that are believed to have been sustained while he was playing with his brother Mizar.
Dr. Dean Richardson, the veterinary surgeon who operated on famed racehorse Barbaro, tried his hand at a polar for the first time by performing a six-hour operation on the bear.
On his trip back to a Cleveland animal hospital for recovery, Alcor's breathing became labored and then stopped, despite resuscitative efforts that lasted for 25 minutes and included chest compressions.
The George D. Widener Hospital sees more than 6,000 large animals a year, and its field service units provide medical care to an additional 19,000 animals.
Gail Luciani, a spokeswoman for the Penn vet school, declined to comment on the cause of Alcor's death, citing privacy concerns, and officials at the Erie Zoo, where Alcor was kept, didn't return a request for comment.
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