‘Stop bothering the bear’: Argentinean zoo set on keeping Arturo

There has been an update to the status of Arturo, the polar bear currently languishing in an Argentinean zoo, but it's not what supporters in Canada and around the world will want to hear.

The bear that has been dubbed "the world's saddest animal" will for now remain in Mendoza Zoo despite international pressure that included a 635,000-strong petition calling for him to be moved to kinder conditions available in a facility in Winnipeg, Man.

Another petition calling for the Canadian government to waive any and all impediments and issue a special import permit has garnered nearly 20,000 signatures.

The Daily Mail reports that Argentinean officials have reaffirmed their refusal to relocate Arturo, citing the bear's advanced age, waning health and other factors they say would make the 9,600-kilometre trip to Canada impossible.

"Arturo is close to his caretakers. We just want everyone to stop bothering the bear," Mendoza Zoo director Gustavo Pronotto told the newspaper.

Arturo has been alone at the zoo since 2012, when the facility's only other polar bear died of cancer.

Since then, international observers note that he has descended into a state of depression, enhanced by the discomfort of the South American heat and the limitations of his concrete cage.

Last year, there appeared to be hope for Arturo when Argentinean officials agreed to transfer the bear to the new Journey to Churchill exhibit at Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo, a new, state-of-the-art polar bear exhibit that currently hosts several animals and is capable of hosing more.

[ Related: Should Arturo the polar bear, deemed the 'world's saddest animal,' be moved to Winnipeg? ]

But the plan was scuttled in February when, according to the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, Argentinean officials were unable to provide health records for Arturo. Mendoza Zoo later cancelled the move based on the same health concerns cited this week.

Assiniboine Park Conservancy spokesperson Laura Cabak told Yahoo Canada News last week that the facility offered to visit the Mendoza Zoo and provide expert advice on how to improve Arturo's health and living conditions.

"We were not invited to participate in the assessment of Arturo’s health, nor have we been given access to his health records, so we have no first-hand knowledge of his condition," Cabak wrote in an email.

"When Mendoza informed us of their decision to keep Arturo, we extended an offer to send a member of our veterinary team to Mendoza to review and if warranted make recommendations for possible improvements to his care and living conditions. Travel plans were made for the end of March but were cancelled at the last minute at the request of Mendoza officials. Mendoza has not invited us to reschedule."

The call to save Arturo has garnered a great deal of international attention.

The Dodo, an animal advocacy site, has made Arturo's transfer one of its primary recent focuses. Greenpeace's arm in Argentina has taken up the cause. Cher has tweeted about it.

And former U.S. Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich posted a video appeal on his Facebook page, calling for supporters to sign the petition to move Arturo to Winnipeg.

"This is very sad and he should be saved, so sign the petition," Gingrich says in the video.

The reality of Arturo's condition may actually make transit to Canada difficult, but his current conditions have been called hellish and animal rights activists have said the bear is "walking dead."

Regardless, Arturo will remain in Argentina. For now.

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