Assiniboine Park zoo clarifies position on Argentinian polar bear

Access denied for polar bear

The Assiniboine Park Conservancy wants to clear up some what it calls “any errors currently being reported” around renewed calls to bring an Argentinian polar bear to Winnipeg.

The conservancy released a statement Friday regarding Arturo the polar bear, currently held in the Mendoza Zoo in Argentina. The statement doesn’t specify what errors have been reported or mention any particular media outlet, but mentions several key points about the conservancy’s dealings with the Mendoza provincial government and the zoo.

The conservancy says it contacted the Government of Mendoza Province about the bear in 2013 to discuss moving him to Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, however, requires extensive medical records for any animal coming into the county, something the Conservancy says the Mendoza zoo can’t provide.

The Mendoza zoo also says that Arturo’s health is too fragile to make the journey from Argentina. The conservancy says they were not part of that assessment, but the Government of Mendoza accepted the zoo’s recommendation that Arturo stay.

The conservancy then planned to send experts to help the zoo make improvements to Arturo’s enclosure, but the trip was cancelled by the Mendoza zoo. The conservancy says their offer still stands.