NextSharkNextShark.com

Last Polar Bear in Korea Unexpectedly D‌‌i‌e‌‌‌‌s Before Sanctuary Release

Last Polar Bear in Korea Unexpectedly D‌‌i‌e‌‌‌‌s Before Sanctuary Release

November 1, 2018
SHARE
The last living polar bear in South Korea has p‌ass‌ed aw‌‌ay at the ag‌e of 24 — equivalent to 80 years old in human years — at Everland Zoo, just weeks shy of being relocated to Yorkshire Wildlife Park in England.
 
The bear, Tongki, was born in South Korea in 1995 and moved to Everland Zoo in 1997 where he was raised by a group of zookeepers in a relatively confined space. Tongki was set to retire and relocate to Yorkshire where he would have been free to roam the 10 acre reserve with 25.5 million gallons of water and other polar bears.
The zookeepers, who had raised the bear for 15 years, patiently prepared Tongki for the long journey ahead and were counting down the days when they could see him happily retire. Sadly, Tongki pa‌ss‌ed a‌w‌a‌y just one month before the scheduled trip, leaving netizens and zookeepers shocked and heartbroken.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter

A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.

The head zookeeper in charge of Tongki was seen grieving saying, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do better” and repeatedly crying, “I’m sorry” as he fell to the floor upon entering the bear’s former enclosure, overwhelmed with sorrow.
As visitors and zoo employees left bouquets of flowers for Tongki, netizens joined them in their grief as some criticized the Everland Zoo for not releasing the bear sooner:
“It hurts my heart to see the zookeeper cry like that… Tongki, I hope you’re in a happier place now. We’ll meet in the next life”
“He should be retired earlier so he could enjoy his life at old age. Too bad, I really feel sorry for him.”
“I hope you can finally rest in a place with no concrete floors… we’ll miss you”
“It’s heartbreaking that he was forced to live in a zoo because of human greed… but it also breaks my heart to see the zookeeper in so much pa‌i‌n”
Feature Image via YouTube
MOST READ
    HAPPENING NOW
      Jin Hyun

      Jin Hyun is a contributor at NextShark

      SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

      RELATED STORIES FROM NEXTSHARK

      Support
      NextShark's
      Journalism

      Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.

      Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.

      We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.

      © 2023 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.