Argentina's Polar Bear ‘Arturo’ Will Stay at the Mendoza Zoo

Imagen de la pagina de Facebook OSO POLAR Arturo

Image from the Facebook page OSO POLAR Arturo (Arturo the POLAR BEAR). Text: “I'm a polar bear – what part of polar don't you understand?”

A group of medical specialists determined that Arturo the bear, the only polar bear in captivity in Argentina, should stay in Mendoza instead of being transferred to Canada, after an intense heat wave put his health at risk.

The blog Un Mundo en Paz (A World of Peace) [es] explains:

Por unanimidad, los especialistas decidieron que el oso Arturo se quede en Mendoza. Analizaron que por su edad, 23 años, no puede ser sometido a una serie [de] análisis necesarios para el traslado y en Canadá no podría recibirlo porque el animal no cumple con los requisitos que exige el protocolo de ese país.

Unanimously, the specialists decided that Arturo the bear would stay in Mendoza. They determined that because of his age, 23, he could not be submitted to the series [of] analyses needed for the move, and in Canada he would not be received because he does not meet the requirements of the country's protocol.

In January of 2014, due to the demands and pleas made by different groups that the bear be put in a place more suitable for his species, the governor of the city of Mendoza, Francisco Pérez (@PacoPerez), announced from his Twitter account that the bear was being evaluated physically to determine the possibility of eventually moving him to Canada:

Let it be know that our Government, if the medical board decides it is best, will approve and support the decision to move Arturo the bear.

In February, a medical board made up of local, national and foreign veterinarians will evaluate the health of Arturo the bear.

This board will determine whether Arturo is in good condition to deal with a move, being that the main goal is to safeguard his health.

If the medical board approves it, and Arturo the bear can be moved, two Canadian entities are interested in receiving him.

This news brought about a lot of happiness and gratitude towards the governor, and the community was waiting for the medical board to arrive on February 7th to do the evaluation.

As one might expect, the news that the bear will stay in Mendoza has generated reactions from those who were waiting for the results. On Twitter, Argentines are commenting on the case under the hashtag #OsoArturo.

For their part, the Association of Civil Servants and Lawyers for the Rights of Animals (AFADA) [es] presented a statement [es] announcing the request for a habeas corpus for the polar bear's illegal loss of liberty. 

The Facebook page Ecológicos Unidos [es], calls for continuing to fight [es] for the polar bear:

MENSAJE URGENTE A AQUELLAS PERSONAS QUE TIENEN GANAS DE AYUDAR AL OSO POLAR ARTURO Y TIENE IDEAS NUEVAS PARA LOGRAR SU TRASLADO 

Nosotros probamos con todo y no lo logramos … pero no quiere decir que alguien más preparado y con más herramientas no pueda hacerlo ! 

NO DISCUTAN CON NOSOTROS , HÁGANLO URGENTE ! ARTURO NO TIENE TIEMPO ! 

URGENT MESSAGE TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HELP ARTURO THE POLAR BEAR AND HAVE NEW IDEAS FOR MOVING HIM

We tried everything and we weren't successful … but that doesn't mean that someone more prepared and with more tools can't do it!

DON'T ARGUE WITH US, DO IT QUICKLY! ARTURO DOESN'T HAVE TIME! 

The page OSO POLAR Arturo [es] does the same, and reports [es] that the result is “the worst news” they could have imagined.

Imagen de la página en Facebook OSO POLAR Arturo

Image from the Facebook page OSO POLAR Arturo (Arturo the POLAR BEAR)

The AFP [es] news agency shared a video of the news, showing the protesters awaiting the result:

Meanwhile, Greenpeace Argentina [es] calls for joining the fight [es] to improve the conditions in the enclosure where Arturo is now. 

13 comments

  • Aquilex

    After reading this I am still not sure how I can help.

  • Sharon Mistic

    it certainly isn’t very clear, very messy page

  • yenta1957

    This is just so sad…what can be done to help Arturo?

  • Sex Kitten Party

    they’ve DENIED the petition for habeus corpus!!!! Im furious!

  • julie

    I came here to help but am confused too! This link says Habeus Corpus was granted and includes pre-wrtiten letters to send to judges. I hope this is still valid and I will send… http://polarbearrescues.webs.com/actions

  • Ray

    Sort it out you murdering scumbags!

  • Deb Ellison

    What can be done? Spread the word for Arturo, be the voice he needs. Sign petitions on his behalf, write emails to your own Embassy and the Argentinian Embassy. It’s utterly ridiculous and cruel to keep this poor polar bear captive in a hot country. How assinine and backward of the Argentinian government to be so callous and ignorant of his needs. He is a POLAR bear.
    Shame on Argentina, it makes me want to boycott that country, never travel there.

  • Rebecca S

    I only heard about this today but after googling it seems this is gaining more publicity. I hate animal cruelty but the very sad life of Arturo is haunting me, I have not stopped crying every time I hear of this story. It is difficult to know what to do to help. I have signed petitions online, shared the story on facebook. I am hoping that celebrity animal activists such as Ellen Degeneres will hear of this story and use her celebrity status to help this poor animal. Someone with better resources and money than just us average folk can help even more.

    I pray that I soon hear that Arturo is living the rest of his days happily in an environment that is more suited to him and for his mental state. Please!!

  • dealinfacts

    You need specialists from Northern Canada to come and look at the bear. He needs to be properly taken care of and then be moved as soon as possible. Winnipeg has a new polar bear exhibit that is top notch. they are willing to accept him.

  • diane

    He needs cool ice water and cool air
    . Why are they not helping this animal.

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