The polar bear cub pictured is Miki, who sadly died at Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park in Wherstead, after being transported with her mum Ewa from her Swedish enclosure last week.

Miki would have been three years old on 3 December had she not succumbed, to what Jimmy's Farm have claimed was an underlying heart condition, objectors to the move blame stress.

The young polar bear was born at Orsa Predator Park in Sweden, after the owners decided it was no longer financially viable and closed it down, for redevelopment, believed to become an amusement park.

Miki before she died

Her mum Ewa is approaching her 18th birthday after being born in November 2005. in the Netherlands.

She also spent time in another Dutch Zoo before being moved to Sweden.

Jimmy's Farm owners have claimed the bears would have been put to sleep if they had not acquired them, however there is no evidence that this is true. Orsa Predator Park make it clear on their website, all animals would be rehoused, just as a family of polar bears were relocated to a wildlife park in the Peak District earlier this year.

Miki is the sixth polar bear known to have died in captivity this year.

Details of deceased captive polar bears will be added here, with the most recent deaths listed first.

• Dikson  died in his sleep at Moscow Zoo around 20 September 2023 of acute cardiopulimary failure. He was a rescue bear, arriving at the zoo in September 2022 after being found, with 32 bullets in his body and his rear legs paralysed, on the island of Dikson in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. He was born in the winter of 2019/2020. Dikson's condition deteriorated due to the progression of spinal cord lesions. He also developed secondary infections of the urinary and respiratory tract.
• Koluk  died in ABQ Bio Park Zoo, New Mexico, USA on 26 May 2023.  Koluk was euthanized after staff observed a lack of appetite, sluggishness and stiffness. BioPark veterinarians performed a full exam on May 19 and found severe liver and kidney disease. His condition deteriorated and the decision was made to humanely euthanize him. Aged 26 he was born on 19 November 1996 in Utah's Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He had lived with his brother Kiska at the ABQ BioPark since October 1997. 
• Zabava  died in Bol'sherechenskiy Zoo, Omsk, Russia on 7 April 2023. She entered her pool but didn't come out. Her body was recovered and an examination revealed that she had drowned after suffering a stroke. She was born in captivity in St. Petersburg, Russia on 6 December 2013.
• Imaq , aged 4 died in Copenhagen Zoo when she was electrocuted on 7 March 2023. Reports indicate that she broke through a metal barrier and was then able to access an electrical supply cabinet where she bit through a cable with fatal consequences.
• Milk , aged 20, was killed by a male bear in Kushiro Zoo, Japan on 2 March 2023. The bears had been placed in the same enclosure for breeding purposes and Milk sustained a fatal head injury during a fight with Kiroru.
• Berlin , aged 33, died 12 January 2023 from incurable renal failure after suffering from prolonged hypertension. She was born 11 December 1989 in Cincinnati Zoo, Ohio, USA. Arrived at Kansas City on 18 December 2012, via Duluth Zoo, USA and St. Paul Zoo, USA.

In order to survive Ewa, and any other polar bears to be imprisoned at Jimmy's Park, need to be kept in good, specialised and very secure conditions.

What do polar bears need, according to the Bear Conservation organisation?

• Polar bears are classified as marine mammals and whilst most of their lives are spent on sea ice they are strong swimmers and, in captivity, need large, deep pools. These should not be chlorinated and, ideally, there will be access to salt water pools.
• Polar bears are carnivores and in the wild their diet is almost exclusively meat-based. In captivity they need balanced diets and should have irregular feeding opportunities rather than regular feeding times. Bear have a phenomenal sense of smell and food can be hidden to provide enrichment opportunities. In hot weather some food can be supplied in blocks of ice. Food should include whole carcasses and whole fish to stimulate the bears natural feeding behaviours.
• Polar bears need space but they also need company and should be able to socialise with at least one other polar bear. Where two or more bears are kept together they should be able to occupy separate spaces when they wish and must be provided with places to hide if they feel threatened.
• Like all captive bears, polar bears need a variety of substrates in their enclosures. Natural surfaces, both hard and soft, should be provided. There should be soft areas for digging, shaded areas for shelter, rocks for climbing, places they can go away from public view, denning areas, vegetation and soft materials such as straw and wood-chips.
• Polar bears have excellent hearing. Noise and vibrations should be kept to a minimum with the public prevented from banging on enclosure windows and no constant background music or loudspeaker announcements that the bears can hear.
• In the wild polar bears wander over territories of hundreds of square miles. Every bear needs acres of space filled with places to roam, to rest and sleep, to build dens, to forage and hunt, to swim and to climb. Enclosures must be designed so that the bears have panoramic views and are not enclosed in pits or walled structures.
• Polar bears have evolved to live in harsh, cold climates. They can tolerate heat, up to around 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit), but need shade, at least one area for each bear in an enclosure. They should have access to air-conditioned indoor areas.

In 2002 the Canadian Polar Bear Protection Act was enacted, the so called "Manitoba Standards", which sets out minimum accommodation standards and other regulations relating to captive polar bears.  You can download a copy here..