Jan 25, 2024 - History

The polar bear that captured San Francisco's heart

Shawna Chen

Black-and-white photo of a veterinarian hugging a small white baby polar bear as a crowd looks on — A crowd watches as caretaker Gail Hedberg embraces Piké, a baby polar bear who was reared at the San Francisco Zoo. Photo: Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS/VCG via Getty Images

Piké the polar bear was born in 1982 and hand-reared in the San Francisco Zoo her entire life after her mother could not raise her.

How it happened: In the early months of her life, she was under round-the-clock care and even lived in the Fremont home of her guardian, SF Zoo veterinary technician Gail Hedberg.

Piké grew into a curious and interactive zoo resident who enjoyed swimming, fishing, napping and lounging on top of snow transported into her enclosure.

Of note: While the average lifespan of a polar bear is around 23 years, Piké lived to the age of 32 and became one of the oldest polar bears in the U.S.

In 2015, Piké died from old age. She "brought so much joy to generations of zoo visitors," the zoo said in a social media tribute.

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The polar bear that captured San Francisco's heart

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