'Patty Bear' dies at 31 after living most of her life at Houston Zoo

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Patty, an Andean bear who lived most of her life in the care of the Houston Zoo, died after a recurrence of cancer, the zoo said today.

According to the Houston Zoo's blog site, the zoo's animal care team made the decision to euthanize Patty when veterinarians found a recurrence of cancer that had spread.

Patty was 31 years old. The zoo noted Andean bears, which are native to South America, typically live to be in their mid 20s in human care.

The zoo's keepers said they remember Patty's "relaxed personality" and "how much she seemed to like building and fluffing nests out of sheets and wood wool."

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