news
May 31, 2026 (updated June 3, 2026)
Added on June 3, 2026
Pon, Hokkaido Brown Bear, underwent an anesthetic examination at the zoo on June 1, 2026. There were no obvious abnormalities such as trauma in his right eye, but since the inflammation persists, eye drop treatment will continue.
Due to a decline in physical function, the animal will be recuperating in a non-exhibition area to recover its strength. Therefore, the exhibition will be suspended from Thursday, June 4th until further notice.
Pon, Hokkaido Brown Bear who arrived at Ueno Zoo on February 2, 2006, when she was about two months old, turned 20 this year.
Around February of last year, the animal showed signs of decreased vitality and arthritis, and its exhibition was temporarily suspended. However, it reopened on April 18, 2025.
Since then, there have been no major changes in her physical condition, but since around May 22nd, there has been noticeable discharge from her right eye, and she appears to have lost some of her vitality.
Originally, we have been managing symptoms such as arthritis with medication since last year, but now an eye problem has been added, and since there has been little improvement, we plan to perform an examination under anesthesia on June 1st.
Based on the health condition after the examination, we will carefully consider whether to proceed with the exhibition from the following day onward, and therefore, the exhibition from June 2nd onward may be canceled.
Hokkaido Brown Bear “Pon” (photographed on March 29, 2026)
AloJapan.com