If you want to see Debby the polar bear, officials at the Assiniboine Zoo says you should come visit soon. They're afraid she doesn't have long to live.

She's the world's oldest polar bear, and her health is failing.

Few polar bears live to see 20, but Debby has more than doubled that lifespan, making it to 41 years and eight months.

"Right now she looks a little on the weak side," zoo curator Bob Wrigley told CTV News. "I went on vacation and noticed quite a difference when I came back after three weeks."

Wrigley says Debby has suffered a series of mini-strokes and has blood in her urine. Even more troubling, she's lost a considerable amount of weight. He says they are ready to let nature take its course.

News of Debby's poor health is spreading rapidly, as are feelings of sadness.

Replacing Debby won't be easy, and not just because she's popular. When her enclosure was built in the 50's, it was state of the art, but not anymore.

"The zoo does not comply with the Manitoba standards established here in Manitoba for the care of bears," says Bob Williams, president of Polar Bears International.

And zoo officials say a retro-fit doesn't make sense. Instead they plan to build a new multi-million dollar enclosure, like one at the zoo in Tacoma Washington.

"If you are not standing in front of a pool with a polar bear swimming above your head within five years, I'll be terribly disappointed," Williams says.

But that's the future. For now people the zoo hopes people are enjoying the short time they have left with Debby.