Heartbreaking video shows ‘world’s saddest bear feeding on carrots because meat is too expensive’ wandering around miserable concrete enclosure at Chinese zoo
A heartbreaking video shows the ‘world’s saddest bear’ allegedly being fed carrots because meat is too expensive.
Images show the shockingly skinny black bear in its concrete enclosure on the outskirts of the city Jiulongtan Scenic Area Zoo in Panzhou, southwestern Guizhou province of China.
A shocked visitor shared the video on social media, showing the bear looking miserable as it could barely move on its extremely thin legs and had an almost invisible waist.
The visitor claimed that they had spoken to the zookeeper and that due to the lack of tourists they were barely able to feed the animals. ‘The most miserable black bear in the world. It is so thin that it looks distorted,” they said.
“The zookeeper said the owner had run out of money and there were no more visitors, so they switched from feeding them food to feeding them carrots and vegetables every day.”
Images show the shockingly skinny black bear in its concrete enclosure at the Jiulongtan Scenic Area Zoo in Panzhou, southwestern China’s Guizhou province
A shocked visitor shared the video on social media, showing the bear looking miserable as it could barely move on its extremely thin legs and had an almost invisible waist.
The visitor claimed that they had spoken to the zookeeper and that due to the lack of tourists they were barely able to feed the animals.
Online commenters criticized the zoo, with users saying: ‘The animals at Panzhou Zoo are really abused. They don’t eat well and the environment is terrible. I don’t want to go there again after I’ve been there once.’
Another wrote: ‘The bear is as hungry as a dog,’ while a third added: ‘Give the animals back to nature.’
The Panzhou Tourism Industrialization Development Center quickly responded to the claims and inspected the zoo.
It said the bear had been fed vegetables and steamed cornbread since childhood and had become accustomed to the diet.
Now that he is more than 10 years old, he has grown old and eats much less because of his age.
The statement was confirmed by the Panzhou Natural Resources Bureau, which also investigated the incident and vowed to continue monitoring the bear in coordination with other departments.
The agency claimed that another black bear living at the zoo is in normal and healthy condition, although it is believed to be a recent arrival.