For those commenting about it, no, the polar bear did not die just because of being kept in California.
The San Diego Zoo keeps two polar bears, and the way they keep the bears healthy is they put the bears on a low-fat diet. The bears have considerably less body fat than wild bears, which means they don’t have as much insulation, since they don’t need the fat to insulate them against the frigid cold. The bears look thinner than wild polar bears, since they are, but they’re perfectly healthy and their weight is stable. Because of their lower body fat, they’re comfortable in the heat, and have their pool to retreat into when it gets too hot. In fact, the zoo has to heat their pool in the winter or they won’t go into it. Having the bears on a low-fat diet is much easier and more reliable than chilling the entire enclosure. That’s how a good zoo handles polar bear care.
SeaWorld is not a good zoo.
