Protest against the tragic death of a caged mountain bear, forced to drink soda to amuse customers in an Azerbaijan cafeThe following footage shows a mountain bear kept in a small and filthy cage at a cafe in Gabala, Azerbaijan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwuzf1MN9tE&feature=relatedNot only was the bear imprisoned in a horrific, dirty and small cage, thus being completely deprived of its natural habitat and food sources, it was also forced to drink soda out of a plastic bottle, obviously desperately trying to quench its thirst while having to endure daily abuse and taunts from visitors at the cafe who were clearly amused and entertained by the suffering of this poor creature. According to the newspaper articles, the bear died shortly after the footage was taken, no doubt owing to the fact that it had been ill-treated and abused in its foul cage. It transpires that the dead bear has now been replaced by another bear, who will presumably have to endure similar abuse and ill-treatment.
Clearly, these people have no respect for the life of other sentient creatures. The confinement of animals is ultimately cruel and goes against the instincts and nature of such creatures. When caged, these wild animals lack space, natural habitat and food sources. They are not cared for properly and their minds are not stimulated. The animal experiences high levels of stress from this unnatural environment. No animal deserves this kind of horrific treatment in a civilised society - especially not in the name of 'entertainment'.
According to official statements, this is "an isolated case",
but how can they be certain? Isolated case or not, we would like to know
what is being done about it?Equally important,
efforts need to be made urgently to prevent similar crimes taking place in the future. Tell Arif Mammadov - Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe - that
he must do whatever it is in his power to do to ensure that the unnecessary imprisonment and exploitation of animals in the Republic of Azerbaijan are put to an end immediately. Thank you for your support!
Related newspaper articles:
Article in The Sun (also links to video footage of the bear)
Article in The Daily Mail Dear Arif Mammadov,
I am contacting you to let you know that I was extremely shocked when I watched the video footage of a mountain bear kept in a small and filthy cage at a cafe in Gabala, Azerbaijan:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3207116/Dying-bear-forced-to-drink-cola-in-foul-cell.htmlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1325854/Caged-mountain-bear-forced-drink-coca-cola-publics-amusement-dies.html Not only was the bear imprisoned in a horrific, dirty and small cage, thus being completely deprived of its natural habitat and food sources, it was also forced to drink soda out of a plastic bottle, obviously desperately trying to quench its thirst while having to endure daily abuse and taunts from visitors at the cafe who were clearly amused and entertained by the suffering of this poor creature. According to the above articles, the bear died shortly after the footage was taken, no doubt owing to the fact that it had been ill-treated and abused in its foul cage. This too, I find deeply disturbing and unacceptable in a civilised society. It transpires that the dead bear has now been replaced by another bear, who will presumably have to endure similar abuse and ill-treatment. It makes me wonder where will it end and what, if anything, is being done to stop it?
Clearly, these people have no respect for the life of other sentient creatures. The confinement of animals is ultimately cruel and goes against the instincts and nature of such creatures. When caged, these wild animals lack space, natural habitat and food sources. They are not cared for properly and their minds are not stimulated. The animal experiences high levels of stress from this unnatural environment. This is completely unacceptable. No animal deserves this kind of horrific treatment in a civilised society - especially not in the name of 'entertainment!'
According to official statements, this is "an isolated case", but how can they be certain? Isolated case or not,
I would like to know what is being done about it? Even if this is an isolated case, this does not make it right, nor does it make it any less important to investigate in-depth, prosecute and punish the people responsible for the ill-treatment and, ultimately, the death of this bear. Equally important,
efforts need to be made urgently to prevent similar crimes taking place in the future. I sincerely hope that you will make use of your position as a representative of Azerbaijan and do whatever it is in your power to do to ensure that the unnecessary imprisonment and exploitation of animals in the Republic of Azerbaijan are put to an end immediately.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.