Bhalou the Bear Suffering in Doha Zoo?

A story I missed yesterday but which popped up on my alerts today was that of Bhalou the bear.

Those who have been in Qatar a while will remember that the bear was left behind by the Russian Circus performing in the Hyatt Plaza after the circus were denied the papers they needed to take the bear home.

Now the bear is housed in Doha Zoo and, according to the zoo, is doing well. Not so, according to the Gulf Times, which stated that the bear had lost weight, had no food in its enclosure and was denied access to its air-conditioned shelter.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) had arranged a place for the bear in a sanctuary in Pakistan, but then been denied access to the bear.

The person who found the bear claimed that Bhalou was depressed and being kept in filthy conditions.

Claims that the animals are not well cared for have been made before. One conservationist I spoke to even thought that the zoo's single elephant probably had brain damage!

Gifts from Japan