Arturo, the "sad" polar bear is sweating under the Argentinian sun, with no reprieve

The Change.org petition to Argentina’s president to rescue Arturo, who is believed to be living in sad conditions, requests her to shift the polar bear to Assiniboine National Park in Canada where he will have a better natural habitat.
Arturo, the "sad" polar bear is sweating under the Argentinian sun, with no reprieve
Arturo, the "sad" polar bear is sweating under the Argentinian sun, with no reprieve
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The News Minute | July 24, 2014 | 11:24 PM IST

The image of the “sad polar bear” – Arturo who lives in the Argentinian zoo has moved hearts of many people across the globe. But, it looks like he is not going to get any reprieve even in his old age. Argentina’s last captive polar bear, Arturo will have to remain in the country, despite half a million people signing a Change.org petition demanding that Arturo should be shifted to Canada.

 The director of Mendoza Zoo, Argentina where Arturo is kept on Tuesday officially announced that the 28 year old polar bear is “too old to be relocated”.

The Change.org petition to Argentina’s president to rescue Arturo, who is believed to be living in sad conditions, requests her to shift the polar bear to Assiniboine National Park in Canada where he will have a better natural habitat.

Many experts believe that it is due to the heat and weather conditions in the Mendoza Zoo that Arturo looks sad all the time. Arturo’s activities like “tilting his head and showing his teeth while pacing back and forth, and rocking from side to side” are signs of depression, experts say. To add to Arturo’s grief, his partner Pelusa passed away in 2012 due to cancer. Result- Arturo is now quite rightly dubbed as the world’s saddest animal.

 His plight came to international attention when another polar bear, died in December 2012 in Buenos Aires, Argentina due to effects of a heat wave. After the incident the Assiniboine National Park had requested the Argentinian authorities to shift Arturo to Canada, but they did not agree. Meanwhile, the recent heatwaves in Argentina has led to the further deterioration in Arturo’s health.

 In the concrete enclosure where Arturo lives the temperature is always more than 30 degree Celsius.
-34 degree Celsius in Artic is the most optimal natural habitat for polar bears. Many international activist groups, including Greenpeace objected to Arturo being confined in the Mendoza Zoo.

 But a team of experts from Argentina in February ruled that Arturo is too old to be relocated at this age and in his present condition, a decision that was reiterated by the zoo on Tuesday.

 Reports say that the zoo director Gustavo Pronotto said to the media - "Arturo is close to his caretakers. We just want everyone to stop bothering the bear."

But activists working out of Mendoza are preparing themselves to challenge the report submitted by the veterinarian panel which decided to retain Arturo in Argentina.

By now, Arturo has gained worldwide support from people who want him to live in better living conditions.

See a video on Arturo below:

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