WATCH: Bear with me folks! I'm 36-years-old now
A bear at Dudley Zoo has celebrated her birthday and continues to surpass its typical life expectancy.
Asiatic black bear, Inca, turned 36 last week, more than 10 years older than the species is expected to live out in the wild.
To commemorate the big day, the zoo prepared a birthday surprise for her, which means her home will no longer just include the bear necessities, as Inca is set to get new underfloor heating in the outdoor area of her enclosure.
Section leader, Jay Haywood, said: "Inca is in such good condition for her age.
"She's got more than 10 years on the typical life expectancy for a wild Asiatic black bear and continues to amaze us, passing her yearly thorough health checks with flying colours.
"She's definitely slowing down now, but who can blame her – she is the official title holder for the oldest Asiatic black bear in Europe after all – but she still manages to get to her favourite spot at the top of her climbing frame for a snooze in the sunshine."
Inca started life as part of a five-strong group of bears at the zoo in the 1990s.
However, they had to be separated because two other the group did not bond - so Inca and pal Gretel were moved to a new home in Glasgow in 1997. After more than five years in Scotland they moved back down south to Dudley in 2003.
Inca is sponsored by Halesowen-based online gaming business mFortune and the company is paying for the underground heating and heat lamp.
Simon Llanos, head of marketing and business development at mFortune, said the company had "fallen in love" with Inca and had decided to sponsor her.
"We think Inca is incredible and when we heard her story we wanted to do all we could to give her the best quality of life she can be afforded in her old age," he said. "We hope that she will enjoy her new outdoor heating and it will mean she can be slightly more adventurous.
"We look forward to following her progress and continuing to support both Inca and the zoo."
