[caption id="attachment_78714" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Polar Bear Eats Coat and Purse and Dies[/caption]Polar Bear Eats Coat and Purse and Dies

Stuttgart, Germany - A polar bear died a painful death after ingesting a coat and purse. Authorities believe the items accidentally fell into Anton's living area. The 25-year-old polar bear may have enjoyed the meal, but it didn't settle well with him. Zoo keepers began to notice the animal began coughing up strange debris. By the time they realized that he had ingested something harmful, he was beyond help.

That's not to say they didnt' try. He was given medication to induce vomiting in an attempt to have him regurgitate his way out of the problem. His death was ruled the result of massive internal injuries. Polar bears in captivity can live up to 40 years meaning his life was cut short.

Two of the bear's trainers Juergen Diesenhofer and Andreas Woessner concurred that the coat and purse must have contained something the bear found irresistible enough to eat the articles in their entirety. Anton marks the third time in recent years that zoo animal has died as a result of eating discarded clothing items. The other two victims were an elephant and a hippopotamus. A sign has been placed at select places of the zoo warning patrons of the dangers that clothing items and shoes pose to the animals.

On The Web:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/polar-bear-dies-after-eating-purse-coat-german-zoo-n28171