Three sloth bears died in January from the cold at the airport of Liège in Belgium. This happened during a stopover on a plane en route from Peru to Indonesia.
Nine sloth bears arrived at the Belgian airport on Saturday morning, January 21. In Liège, the animals ended up in the freezing cold. The bears are used to living in subtropical temperatures.
Due to the severe winter weather, the aircraft in which the bears were on the ground had to stay longer. The harsh conditions would also have been the reason it took a long time for people to unload the bears. That only happened after more than 24 hours. Three of the nine bears were dead by then.
The Walloon government wants it to be clear who is guilty of the death of the bears and that there will be a punishment. At this point, the airline and other companies involved are blaming each other.
Sloth bears are on average 5 feet 8 inches tall and can weigh over 200 pounds. They have dark fur and prominent lips. People regularly capture the bears to keep them as circus animals or pets. There are less than 10,000 sloth bears left worldwide.
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