Arturo (polar bear)

Arturo is a polar bear living in Mendoza Zoological Park in Mendoza, Argentina, making him the only polar bear living in the country. The living conditions of the cage Arturo resides in have proven controversial, as temperatures can reach up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit and the pool in Arturo's cage is only 20 inches deep. Animal rights activists[1] have, in response, dubbed Arturo the "world's saddest animal" and promoted a petition to have him moved to Assiniboine Park Zoo, a zoo in Winnipeg, Canada.[2] The petition was created by Laura Morales of Hamilton, Ontario.[3] It gained considerable attention after the hashtag #Freearturo began trending on Twitter. Supporters of the petition have also noted that a polar bear died in Buenos Aires in December 2012 due to excessive heat, and have argued that Arturo exhibits symptoms of depression and other mental health problems.[4]

As of July 19, 2014, the petition has over 400,000 signatures, and has been endorsed by Newt Gingrich[5] and Cher.[6] Assiniboine Park Zoo has responded that while they would gladly accept Arturo there, they do not have the authority to do so unless Argentina agrees to transfer him there and that the Mendoza zoo could not supply the necessary medical records to make such a trip possible.[7] On July 24, the director of the Mendoza Zoo, Gustavo Pronotto, told the Associated Press that Arturo was too old to be moved to Canada.[8] There are people advocating for Arturo to be moved to Canada on the internet, using the Facebook[9] and Twitter hashtag #FreeArturo.[10]


References

  1. ↑ "#FreeArturo: 470,000 sign petition to relocate depressed polar bear to Canada". Russia Today. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "Petition to move 'sad' polar bear to Canada". BBC. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Thousands sign petition to relocate 'sad' polar bear Arturo to Canada". CTV News. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  4. ↑ Wheaton, Oliver (19 July 2014). "#Freearturo petition to move ‘world’s saddest’ polar bear to Canadian zoo reaches almost 400,000 signatures". Metro. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  5. ↑ Neuman, Scott (19 July 2014). "400,000+ Sign Petition To Move 'Sad Bear' To Better Life In Canada". NPR. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Smith, Mark (25 July 2014). "Zoo bosses REFUSE to move 'world's saddest polar bear' despite 700,000 petition and Cher pressure". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Arturo’s fate out of Winnipeg zoo’s hands". Winnipeg Sun. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014..
  8. ↑ Lee, Jolie (24 July 2014). "Zoo director: Arturo the polar bear too old to move to Canada". USA Today. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Free Arturo the polar bear Community". Facebook. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "Save Polar Bear Arthur". #FreeArturo. 18 July 2014..
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