site.btaSofia Zoo's Dessi - One of World's Oldest Himalayan Bears in Captivity - Turns 38

The oldest bear at Sofia Zoo – the Himalayan bear Dessi – has turned 38, the zoo said on Facebook Wednesday. According to data from the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), Dessi is one of the world's oldest Himalayan bears kept in a zoo.

Bears from this species live to an average of 25 years in the wild and 35 years in captivity. 

Dessi was born in 1988 at the zoo in Lodz, Poland. Due to Dessi's advanced age coupled with blindness, she lives in several indoor spaces within the zoo's Bear House adapted to her condition and receives special care from the zookeepers. 

For her birthday, Dessi received a cake made of her favourite fruit.

Sofia Zoo is also home to three other bear species: the Eurasian brown bear, the Grizzly bear, and the Sloth bear.