Polar Bear Dies Following Surgery

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. - August 21, 2006 (WPVI) -- Alcor, a 750 pound polar bear from the Erie Zoo, died Monday night following several hours of surgery at the New Bolton Center to repair a broken leg.

Dr. Dean Richardson began operating on Alcor at the New Bolton Center around noon on Monday. The surgery lasted most of the afternoon.

"It was an extremely difficult surgery," said Richardson. "The ulna was broken just above the carpus (the wrist) and we were able to repair it satisfactorily with two Synthes locking compression plates. However, the radius was shattered in too many pieces to allow accurate reconstruction, so we used a single plate to partially stabilize it."

Alcor was listed in guarded condition immediately after the operation. Officials say the bear died while being transported back to the zoo.

Alcor's broken bones were just above his right paw. Zoo officials do not know how he broke his leg, but they suspect he did it while playing with his brother Mizar, another 7-year-old bear who has been at the Erie Zoo with Alcor since 2001.

Richardson gained national attention after operating on Barbaro, who suffered a career-ending broken leg during the Preakness last May.

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