Bears Seized In Puerto Rico

U.S. authorities have seized six polar bears from a circus in Puerto Rico, accusing the circus of having violated the marine mammal act by keeping the arctic animals caged in the Caribbean heat.

Federal marshals are guarding the bears in the southern Puerto Rican city of Yabucoa until they can be transferred at the end of the week to the Detroit Zoo.

The Suarez Brothers circus of Mexico, which is now touring elsewhere in the Caribbean, was not available for comment. It had left the bears behind in Puerto Rico because other countries on the tour, including the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Dutch island of Aruba, had denied the bears access.

In Yabucoa, three veterinarians are treating the bears, at least some of which had bacterial infections, according to Carla Capalli of the Humane Society of Puerto Rico.

"They have been lying in excrement and mud, with stray dogs and cats around," says Capalli. "They're so lethargic, it's unnatural. Even with all these guards and this commotion, they're totally unfazed."

Following repeated complaints from animal activists, agents from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Fish and Wildlife Services recently visited the remaining six bears and determined their quarters were inadequate for housing arctic mammals in tropical heat.

Authorities say most of the time, the bears were kept in small cages, with occasional access to swimming pools or air conditioning, as U.S. law requires full time.

A video tape recorded by Capalli shows the bears drooling and swaying in 113 degree August heat, without water.