SNOWFLAKE, THE 29-YEAR-OLD POLAR BEAR AT THE PITTSBURGH ZOO & AQUARIUM, PLAYS WITH A TOY. | PHOTO BY PAUL SELVAGGIO

Enjoying these sizzling summer days? Imagine if you were the lone polar bear at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium.

Actually, zoo staff provide a number of accommodations to keep Snowflake comfortable during the summer months — air-conditioning, chillers that cool the water features and snacks like frozen fish popsicles and even an ice cake made of watermelon and herring.

“It seems funny that you have the largest land carnivore wanting to eat watermelon, but she does enjoy it and watermelon is a great water source, so we’re happy to feed it to her,” said Paul Moylett, the zoo’s curator of aquatic life.

But staff is closely monitoring Snowflake for another reason — her age and health; at 29, she’s the second oldest polar bear in an accredited American zoo.

Polar bears in zoos typically live into their 20s, and occasionally into their 30s; in the wild, females live 15 to 20 years and males typically less than that, Moylett said.

“She’s pretty stable now, but she’s older and she does have some health concerns,” he said this week. She’s on medication for cardiovascular disease and is being treated for a skin allergy — a condition polar bears in the wild also develop.

“We just keep a very close eye on her situation, like we do all the animals,” he said.

SNOWFLAKE COOLS OFF IN THE WATER | PHOTO BY PAUL SELVAGGIO

The zoo posts updates here on her activities and health, including her behavior, when she’s sleeping, what she’s eating and when she gets playtime or enrichment. Even when she burps.

In her exhibit, she has the choice of spending her time outside or inside, and the public may be disappointed if she’s not outside when they visit. “Snowflake is an animal that typically likes to spend some time off display, off the main exhibit,” Moylett said. “I think the general public is curious about how she’s doing and how things are going.”

For her skin allergy she soaks two to three times a week in a medicated bath. Staff is able to apply other medication through a cooperative training program and positive reinforcement.

Snowflake has been at the Pittsburgh Zoo on and off for about 10 years. The zoo introduced a couple of males for potential breeding, but she wasn’t interested (It’s difficult to get polar bears to breed in zoos, he said). She’s been on her own at the zoo since before the pandemic.

SNOWFLAKE, THE LONE POLAR BEAR AT THE PITTSBURGH ZOO & AQUARIUM, IS THE SECOND OLDEST POLAR BEAR IN AN ACCREDITED AMERICAN ZOO. | PHOTO BY PAUL SELVAGGIO

Moylett said polar bears — particularly females — are not the most communal species, and Snowflake didn’t really socialize with other polar bears when they were in her exhibit. “It wouldn’t be uncommon in the wild for a female polar bear to be solitary,” he said.

Staff wanted to be proactive in sharing Snowflake’s behavior and care on the zoo website as a way of supporting her well-being as she ages.

“We have a pretty good track record with all of our animals,” he said. “We have a lot of older animals who have exceeded their wild life spans. And that’s a testament to the care they receive.”

And Snowflake is very popular with the staff, he said. “We love her to pieces.”