Incredible facts
Arturo, the only polar bear held in captivity in Argentina, died at the age of 30 after spending his life in a concrete enclosure.
Arturo was known as “the saddest polar bear in the world”. He lived in conditions that gradually drove him crazy. He often showed stereotypical behavior, repeating movements that were due to the stress he experienced in captivity.
It was supposed to live in the Arctic Circle on ice floes and cold waters, hunting prey.
Instead, he was kept in Mendoza Zoo's concrete enclosure in a dry and hot climate where temperatures could reach 40 degrees in summer.
Arturo was struggling to lose his companion, who died several years ago and began wandering aimlessly back and forth, grinning his teeth and shaking his head.
Arturo's sad bear
He hunched his back with black hair from the Sun and crawled from corner to corner in search of shade. The bear tried to cool off in the water, but he could only swim in a small pool only 50 cm deep.
Hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition demanding that Arturo be saved so that he can be transferred to a zoo in Canada.
However, zoo authorities decided he was too old to reschedule the trip. On Monday, July 3, Arturo passed away.
“Every part of a polar bear's body is designed for snow, ice, predation and long distance travel. Arturo has been deprived of this for 30 years,” said Barry MacKay, who was a member of the Arturo liberation movement.
“I hope we will put an end to keeping these animals in an unsuitable environment for them.”
Polar Bear Facts
Polar bears keep warm in harsh Arctic conditions thanks to their double coat of hair. They also have a thick layer of fat for additional insulation.
A polar bear's skin is actually black. Black skin absorbs the sun's heat and helps retain heat.
Polar bear liver contains 10 times more vitamin A than any other animal on Earth.
Large male polar bears usually weigh 350 to 544 kg. The largest representative weighed 1000 kg.
Standing on their hind legs, adult bears can reach 3 meters in height.
It is estimated that there are about 25,000 polar bears in the world.
Read also: Interesting facts about polar bears