Polar bear matchmaking in zoo goes horribly wrong as male Baloo suddenly kills female Aurora

Aurora had travelled across Russia from Krasnoyarsk zoo Royev Ruchei for the mating meeting with Aurora in Izhevsk - and everything seemed to be going well. 

A video was released of their initial meeting when she checked out her suitor before wandering away.

Soon they got closer - playing together, basking in the sun, and swimming. 

It appeared Aurora was in heat and receptive. 

Head of the Krasnoyarsk zoo, Andrey Gorban, said: ‘At the very moment he mounted her, something went wrong.

‘Aurora showed her character, and Baloo was furious.’

Keepers were nearby and immediately saw it was going wrong. 

They threw water and then fired a sleeping shot into the male. 

‘He fell near Aurora but she was already dead,’ he said. 

Now the two zoos' specialists are trying to understand the reason love turned to aggression, and believe it is the first case of its kind in captivity. 

'Everything happens in nature, but in zoos this is the first case, and we will carefully study what happened, both for ourselves and for science,’ said Mr. Gorban.

‘I haven’t studied it thoroughly so far, but world-class specialists cannot remember such cases in zoos.

‘It was a completely unexpected outbreak of aggression.

‘Now experts are watching the video (which has not been released) and try to understand the reasons. 

'The male can kill the female for food, but not during estrus. 

‘Everything was absolutely normal, otherwise they would not have been connected.’ 

Aurora originally came to Krasnoyarsk as a cub.

She had been rescued in the north of the region after the death of her mother. 

When she grew up, she was settled with male polar bear Felix. 

But despite the fact that Felix and Aurora had been together for ten years, they had no offspring.

This is why it was decided to create a couple with male bear Baloo.

Aurora arrived on 6 March. She was quarantined for a month and in early April she met Baloo for the first time. 

In early March the staff of Izhevsk zoo shared: ‘Their meeting was destined for fate. 

‘Both are purebred, pretty, originally from nature with valuable genetic material.

‘Baloo is an impressive man, moderately delicate, stubborn, a real macho. 

'His fiancée Aurora, previously from Krasnoyarsk Zoo, is a true lady, calm, neat, intelligent, observant, insanely attractive, and damn pretty. It is impossible to resist such a lady. 

'So the question of whether the bears liked was clear.’

Mr Gorban said: ‘It is unbearably hard to report this tragic news. Our Aurora is gone. 

‘Just the day before yesterday we were happy that our white giants found each other, loved each other.

‘We were hoping to see the offspring. Spacious enclosures for little cubs were already being built in Royev Ruchey. 

‘But the sudden conflict crushed our hopes…. only emptiness is left.' 

Izhevsk Zoo said in a statement: 'Unfortunately, such situations happen in the animal world. 

‘The reason for the conflict between two recently completely peacefully coexisting polar bears Aurora and Baloo remains a mystery. 

‘For several weeks after the connection, they got along well with each other, played together, bathed, basked under the spring sun.

‘The zoo employees made every possible effort to resolve an unforeseen, sudden conflict situation. 

‘But, unfortunately, all efforts were in vain.’