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Many animals also are placed in zoos, including North Carolina's, after federal officials confiscate the animals from people not licensed to keep them or not responsibly caring for them. Other animals at the N.C. Zoo were purchased with donations to the N.C. Zoological Society.

Any time a death is imminent, Smith said, the zoo assembles a team to discuss options and decide in advance when euthanasia is the best choice. Afterward, a necropsy is performed to determine the cause of death, look for any other problems, and determine whether similar symptoms might be better treated differently in the future.

With Masha, Smith said, "We definitely made the right decision. But because polar bears are such personable animals, the decision is very hard on the keepers."

Pet grief counselors have offered to help zoo staff deal with the loss of longtime residents, but Smith and Jennifer Ireland, animal management supervisor for the giraffe and chimp section, said the best solace is talking with colleagues at their own or other zoos. It's not unusual to receive dozens of condolence letters when an animal dies, they said.

"Each animal has a different personality," Ireland said. "You establish relationships."

Diversity helps

Zoos like to maintain diversity in the ages of their collections; younger animals help propagate the species and add interest for visitors. But older animals are necessary, too, especially in species that develop social groups, Smith said. The elders are role models for younger animals, teaching wild and captive behaviors.

As they age, animals' role in the group may change, Smith said. At one time, Hondo, one of the first two chimps brought to the zoo, spent a lot of his time trying to maintain his status as alpha male. Now, at age 32, he is in a group with several young males -- boys, as Smith and Ireland call them -- and has become more laid back and playful. He enjoys his role as wizened sire, mimicked by the impressionable youngsters.

"There's a lot of hero worship going on in that group right now," Ireland said.

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