最悲慘北極熊 受阿根廷40度高溫折磨

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

這隻生活在南美洲的北極熊名叫Arturo，它被人們稱爲“世界上最悲傷的動物”。

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.

它居住在阿根廷門多薩動物園裏，館內溫度高達40攝氏度。據稱，自從它一直以來的好友Pelusa兩年前去世後，就一直很抑鬱。

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.

29年的孤單生活讓它出現了一些反常的行爲，包括搖頭晃腦，露出自己的牙齒，前後不斷踱來踱去，或是左右晃來晃去。

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.’

68歲的美國歌手雪兒在推特上說：“別爲它哭泣，阿根廷？你們沒有爲這隻受盡折磨的北極熊Arturo哭泣。當它死亡時，你們的雙手將沾滿它的鮮血。”

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.

動物權益保護者現在希望可以將Arturo轉移到另一個環境更涼快的動物園裏。現在Arturo唯一的降暑方式就是在一個只有50釐米深的池塘裏游泳。

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.

據《週日人民報》報道，門多薩動物園5個月前曾拒絕將Arturo轉移至加拿大溫尼伯的阿西尼玻公園動物園，該公園動物園內新建了一個國際北極熊保護中心。

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’.

門多薩動物園認爲Arturo忍受不了2天的旅程，且動物園主任古斯塔沃·波諾託表示醫委會已經做出了決定，官方力求“避免出現重大失誤”。

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.

綠色和平組織在一次活動中收集了16萬份簽名，呼籲立即將Arturo轉移到加拿大，他們表示那裏的氣候更接近北極熊原本居住的自然環境。

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.

在溫尼伯聖邦尼菲斯大學學院任教的阿根廷教授費爾南達·阿倫特森已向政府和加拿大駐布宜諾斯艾利斯大使館寫信反映該問題。

‘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.’

“它看上去很傷心，很痛苦。你可以想象得出，一隻生活在沙漠中的北極熊只有一個50釐米深的游泳池，它這麼受苦，我真的看不下去了。”