Is this the world's saddest animal? Tragic photos show plight of lonely polar bear as it struggles to cope with 40C heat in Argentine zoo

Arturo sits in concrete enclosure at Mendoza Zoo in sweltering heat



Said to be depressed since long-term friend Pelusa died two years ago

29-year-old's lonely life is causing him to display 'abnormal behaviour'

Campaigners including Cher have called for him to be moved elsewhere



This is Arturo, a polar bear living in South America who has been called the ‘world’s saddest animal’.

He sits in a concrete enclosure at Mendoza Zoo in Argentina in temperatures of up to 40C (104F) and is said to have been depressed since his long-term friend Pelusa died two years ago.

It is claimed the 29-year-old’s lonely life is causing him to display abnormal behaviour, including tilting his head and showing his teeth while pacing back and forth and rocking from side to side.

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Polar bear Arturo was believed to be depressed after losing his partner and being left in enclosure that was not fit

Observations: Experts claimed the 28-year-old's lonely life was causing him to display 'abnormal behavior', including tilting his head and showing his teeth while pacing back and forth and rocking from side to side Thick coat: Animal rights activists wanted Arturo - whose only access to cooling water in his enclosure was a pool just 20in (50cm) deep - moved to another zoo that offers cooler conditions Arturo - Spanish for Arthur - has been at the zoo for two decades, and has had no contact with his own kind since Pelusa died. Now, campaigners are worried that he is suffering mental health issues. US singer Cher, 68, said on Twitter: ‘Don’t cry for him, Argentina? No tears of Mrs Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner for tortured polar bear Arturo. Your hands are stained with his blood when he dies.’ RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Expat Britons storm Cyprus hotel after staff kill stray... Share this article Share Animal rights activists now want Arturo - whose only access to cooling water in his enclosure is said to be a pool just 20in (50cm) deep - moved to another zoo that offers cooler conditions. Mendoza Zoo blocked an effort five months ago to move Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Canada - where a new International Polar Bear Conservation Centre is located, reported the Sunday People. The zoo did not believe the bear would survive the two-day trip, with director Gustavo Pronotto saying the medical board had made a decision - and officials were keen to ‘avoid a big mistake’. Held in Argentina: Mendoza Zoo blocked an effort in early 2014 to move him to Assiniboine Park Zoo in Canada Sadly he died in the zoo despite a petition to move him Heavy: At Mendoza Zoo, Arturo was served 33lb of meat per day, and all the fruit and vegetables he could eat. He also loved honey. And if his caretakers were late, Arturo growled to draw their attention

He added at the time that the bear was in ‘good condition’, explaining that the life expectancy of one of the animals is just over 20 years - but in captivity, they can often live to see the age of 30.

Mr Pronotto said: ‘We must avoid a big mistake, like his death during the trip or upon arrival. One must evaluate the risks carefully. He is old, and this would require many hours of anaesthesia.’

Greenpeace had gathered 160,000 signatures in a campaign to transfer Arturo urgently to Canada, which it said has weather that more closely resembles what occurs in his natural habitat.

Argentinian professor Fernanda Arentsen, who teaches at Université de Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg, has written to her government and the Canadian Embassy in Buenos Aires over the issue.

She told the Winnipeg Free Press last year: ‘You can see he is going crazy. He moves the way polar bears do when they are suffering a lot of stress.

Sad case: Arturo - Spanish for Arthur - had been at the zoo for two decades, and had no contact with his own kind since Pelusa died Campaign: Singer Cher tweeted her support for the campaign to help Arturo

‘He has been filmed rocking back and forth in a way that signals distress. It breaks my heart to see it. I’m from Mendoza. I know how hot summer is. There is no way for him to escape the heat.

‘He looks so sad. He looks in pain. You can imagine a polar bear in the desert with a swimming pool 50cm deep. It’s difficult to watch this poor animal suffering and in pain.’

Arturo, a 900lb (400kg) bear born in the US in 1985, arrived in 1993 in Mendoza, a city of 120,000 at the foot of the Andes, known for its wine production.

At Mendoza Zoo, Arturo is served 33lbs (15kg) of meat per day, and all the fruit and vegetables he can eat. He also loves honey. And if his caretakers are late, Arturo growls to draw their attention.

As the zoo’s mascot, he has an air-conditioned 375 sq ft (35 sq metre) enclosure, a 5,400 sq ft (500 sq metre) beach and a swimming pool in which his guards throw blocks of ice to keep it cool.

A spokesman for Mendoza Zoo did not immediately respond to a MailOnline request for comment.

UPDATE: JULY 22, 2014



Nine days after the story was published, the Embassy of Argentina in London has issued the following statement to MailOnline on behalf of the Government of Mendoza.



It said: ‘Arturo the bear, which has recently received international media coverage, was born in captivity in San Diego Zoo, in the United States, and belongs to the fifth generation of a polar bear family born in captivity. Arturo arrived to Mendoza in 1993, as a companion for Pelusa, a polar bear already living at Mendoza zoo which later became its partner. They lived together for 19 years until Pelusa died recently in old age.



‘Even though Arturo is already 39, and has significantly exceeded the maximum normal life expectancy of a bear, he is in a good state of health. He has a good appetite, can move around well and displays normal behaviour.



‘A few months ago, local and international environmental and ecological organisations focused their attention on the condition of this bear living in Mendoza Zoo. This encouraged the provincial government to convene a specialised medical committee back in February in Mendoza.



‘One of the issues evaluated by this committee was the possibility of transferring the animal to Canada, as one of the NGOs had requested. The medical team that gathered in Mendoza advised against moving Arturo. The group, comprising veterinarians and specialists from Argentina, Uruguay and Canada (the latter via videoconference), determined at the time that the animal was in optimum conditions both physically and in terms of its behaviour, that the premises where it lives complies with all international standards and that, given its age, an imminent transfer would put his health at risk.



‘From the outset, the Government of Mendoza has made clear that it would be willing to move the bear should it be necessary, as long as it would not affect its health. But the NGO Assiniboine Park (based in Canada) informed the Government of Mendoza that Canada´s phytosanitary controls discourage any possible importation of polar bears into that country. It is also important to keep in mind that the northern hemisphere has native diseases that are not found in the south and that, in order to perform the necessary tests on the bear for the journey, they would have to sedate the animal, which would endanger its life.



‘Furthermore, by late March, UFIMA (National Public Prosecution Body for Environmental Investigations) determined, following special tests carried out over several months, that Arturo the bear is in good health and had suffered no mistreatment whatsoever at the Mendoza Zoo.



‘With regard to Arturo’s enclosure, the medical committee of veterinary surgeons that convened in February stated that it meets international standards the guidelines of the US Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The committee had requested some improvements to the bear’s living space to give Arturo a better quality of life. Following these suggestions, works were carried out on the site that were completed in April. These included installing improved cooling in its habitat, as well as providing better quality water for the basin. Once the bear adapts to these changes, the enclosure will be enlarged by an additional 12 square metres.



‘The improvements included the installation of three pieces of equipment: a cooling device, equipment for heat extraction from the cave, and a thermostat to regulate the temperature inside the den. This enables the temperature of Arturo´s cave to be adjusted between 5C and 22C, reducing the sudden temperature changes when the bear goes outside.

