Notes:
With that thought in mind, we tried to assess vitamin D status in captive polar bears, and those experiencing fractures in particular.
Serum 25-OH-Vitamin D levels were measured in Cases 1, 2 and 4 (Sila, Bob and Magnet) and in 5 other polar bears (3 additional from Seneca Park and 2 additional from Buffalo).
No serum was available for Case 3, Maggie (lived from 1956 – 1979).
As you can see here, we have the # animals and the # samples; some animals provided multiple samples.
Interestingly, what we found is that while the samples from 1 animal at the Baltimore Zoo had normal levels (between 463 – 600 nmol/L), the remaining seven animals tested had subnormal (anywhwere from 85 – 125 nmol/L) or low-normal (one bear, 136 nmol/L) levels of 25-OH-Vit D compared to the published ranges for both captive and free-ranging polar bears. (The low cut-off for normal is 135nmol/L.)