Bear Debby leaves a hole

Enlarge Image 

Riley Sawka and Kylie Newman check out a statue of Debby Thursday at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. Debby died in 2008 as the oldest polar bear in captivity. (MIKE.APORIUS@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)

Debby the polar bear may have departed this perilous planet, but her likeness lives on at the Assiniboine Park Zoo.

The province of Manitoba has donated a statue of the Guinness record-setting carnivore to the zoo to help celebrate the life of its famous resident.

Debby, who passed away last year at the age of 42, was believed to be the oldest member of her iconic Arctic species before she died in November from multiple organ failure, a consequence of living more than twice the average lifespan of a wild polar bear.

A statue in her honour -- creation of artist Charles Johnston -- now stands near her old enclosure, which no longer meets provincial standards for housing polar bears.

According to the commemorative plaque, Debby's likeness actually contains some of her ashes.

The zoo is not allowed to obtain a new member of the threatend species, but the Assiniboine Park Conservancy -- an agency poised to take control of the park and all of its facilities - plans to launch a $180-million capital campaign that will include a radical zoo makeover and a brand-new new polar bear facility.

That cannot happen soon enough for zoo visitors. The bear area was always Sheila Ditchfield's favourite part of the Assiniboine Park Zoo during childhood visits with her family -- which were "almost weekly" in the summer.

"There was always the brown bear, the black one and then the polar bear, in that order," Ditchfield said, standing in front of Debby's empty enclosure Thursday, during a visit with her own kids. "Now I have to tell my little ones there's nothing in this one, and it's kind of sad."

Riley Sawka, 22, said visiting Debby during his school years helped give his science classes some context.

"I remember seeing her when I was a kid, around 11," he said. "When you grow up learning about polar bears, it was nice to see one for real."

For Nick Procaylo, a former Winnipegger visiting from Vancouver, Debby's furry, snouted face launched a photography career.

"Hers was the first photo that I got published in a major daily newspaper," said Procaylo, who now shoots for The Province.

He had been working as a freelance photographer in Winnipeg in 1993 when, during a chance visit to the zoo, someone threw a frisbee into Debby's enclosure and a candid moment was born.

"The bear took it into its mouth and paws and started playing with it," he recalled. "The photo ended up getting syndicated. Coincidentally, I also ended up marrying a woman named Debby."

-- Staff

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 25, 2009 A2