Heat-struck polar bears rescued from tropical circus

U.S. federal marshalls last week seized six polar bears from a circus in Puerto Rico, saying the circus owners, the Suarez Brothers of Mexico, violated the Marine Mammals Protection Act by keeping the bears in cages and without water in tropical weather that ranged up to 44 C.

The American Press news agency reported that an official with the Humane Society of Puerto Rico made a videotape of the bears last August that showed them drooling and swaying in their cages.

Three veterinarians are now treating the bears, at least some of which have bacterial infections.

“They have been lying in excrement and mud, with stray dogs and cats around,” Capalli told AP. “They’re so lethargic, it’s unnatural. Even with all these guards and this commotion, they’re totally unfazed.”

The six bears will be sent to zoos throughout the U.S., including the Detroit Zoo. A seventh bear, a female seized in March, is now at the Baltimore Zoo.

More than 70 members of the U.S House of Representatives and Senate have signed letters and made public statements urging the U.S. government to take action to ensure the humane treatment of the bears.

In March, Representative Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, introduced the Polar Bear Protection Act, which would ban the use of polar bears in travelling shows or circuses. The bill has strong support in Congress, including about 40 original co-sponsors.