THE devastatingย last days of Arturo, known as the โsaddest polar bear in the worldโ have been revealed.
The polar bear was forced to live in a hot Argentinian enclosure for years but died at 31-years-old over the weekend.
Arturo died at 31-years-old after living in the Argentinian enclosure for more than two decades
Heย died on Sunday โdue to a blood circulation imbalanceโ which caused a general decline in the bear who was already weak due to old age, the zoo said in a statement.
Officials at the controversial zoo where theย polar bear lived confirmed the news, with animal activists left devastated by his death.
In one of the last photographs of Arturo, taken on June 17, the bear can be seen collapsed in the corner of his enclosure.
His normally white fur brown, Arturo forlornly lies next to a forgotten red ball.
It is understood he was kept in an enclosure that would often reach over 30ย degrees.
Arturo is just one of theย more than 60 animals to die over recent months at the zoo in the western city of Mendoza.
Other animals were struck down by infections blamed on poor conditions at the zoo, but Arturoโs death was linked to old age.
Despite environmentalists campaigning for the ageing bear to be transferred to colder climates in Canada, the bear was forced to live out his days in a hot concrete enclosure in Argentina.
The polar bear arrived in Argentina about 23 years ago from the United States.
He was christened โthe saddest polar bear in the worldโ after losing his companion, Pelusa, in 2012.
People visiting the zoo often saw Arturo walking around his concrete enclosure and going for a swim in a pool just 20 inches deep.
Animal rights activist organisation PETA tweeted their sadness at the death of the polar bear.
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