The oldest polar bear in captivity in the Netherlands has been put to sleep at the Dierenrijk zoo in Nuenen at the age of 32.

The bear, known as Wash, was born in a Canadian zoo and shipped to Belfast in 1982. In 1997 she was moved to the Netherlands and has been in Nuenen since 2004.

The zoo said in a statement the animal had considerable health problems and walking was becoming increasingly difficult, hence the decision to put her to sleep.

The Nuenen zoo still has five polar bears, the oldest of which is 27.