Arturo (polar bear)

Arturo (1985 – July 3, 2016) was a polar bear living in Mendoza Zoological Park in Mendoza, Argentina, the only polar bear living in the country. He was born in the United States and transferred to Argentina in 1993. His companion, a female named Pelusa, died of cancer in 2012. The living conditions of the cage Arturo resided in were controversial, as temperatures reach up to 40 °C (104 °F) in Argentina, and the pool in Arturo's cage was only 51 centimetres (20 in) deep. Animal rights activists[1] had, 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, Manitoba, 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 also noted that a polar bear died in Buenos Aires in December 2012 due to excessive heat, and argued that Arturo exhibited symptoms of depression and other mental health problems.[4]

Arturo
SpeciesUrsus maritimus
SexMale
Born1985
Alaska, United States
DiedJuly 3, 2016(2016-07-03) (aged 30–31)
Mendoza, Argentina
OwnerMendoza Zoological Park

As of July 19, 2014, the petition had over 400,000 signatures, and had been endorsed by Newt Gingrich[5] and Cher.[6] Assiniboine Park Zoo responded that while they would have gladly accepted Arturo there, they did not have the authority to do so unless Argentina agreed 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, 2014, the director of the Mendoza Zoo, Gustavo Pronotto, told the Associated Press that Arturo was too old to be moved to Canada.[8] In social media, people also advocated for Arturo to be moved to Canada.[9] and Twitter hashtag #FreeArturo.[10]

Arturo died on July 3, 2016, aged 30–31, despite polar bears rarely living beyond 25.[11]

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..
  11. "'Depressed' Argentina polar bear Arturo dies at 30". BBC News. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.


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