Polar bears leaving circus in Caribbean

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Six polar bears seized from a Mexican circus that kept them caged in tropical heat were flown to new homes at three U.S. mainland zoos Tuesday, but one died in transit.

"We have no idea what happened," said animal specialist Diana Weinhardt, who coordinated the move as the bears were tranquilized, loaded into crates and hoisted onto a Federal Express cargo plane. "I went back to check on the bears and found one of them dead."

Weinhardt said she had feared one or more of the bears might die because they had been so mistreated.

"I knew this was a possibility," said Weinhardt, who is based at the Houston Zoo. "The bears have not lived under great conditions, and since we don't have a medical history on them we couldn't know how they would take the flight."

The bears' departure from Puerto Rico ended an 18-month battle by activists to get the arctic animals out of the Caribbean. The Suarez Brothers circus was accused of giving the bears, normally accustomed to subzero temperatures, only occasional access to air conditioning or swimming pools.

"They're going to really good homes. I think they're going to have more stable lives," Weinhardt said.

Violating laws

U.S. authorities confiscated the bears two weeks ago, saying the circus had violated the U.S. Marine Mammal Act. The animals were put under federal marshal guard while veterinarians treated them, said Weinhardt, who is based at the Houston Zoo.

The bears -- named Willehlm, Marsha, Boris, Kenneth, Royal and Baerle -- departed from San Juan on Tuesday for Memphis, Tenn., where they will continue to their new homes.

Royal, the one that died, was headed to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, N.C., along with Marsha and Willehlm. An animal autopsy will be performed Wednesday.

The two bears arrived at the airport near Charlotte, N.C., in steel crates after dark and were taken to Asheboro, about 90 miles north.

Baerle, the only female, was going to the Detroit Zoo, and Boris and Kenneth to the Point Defiance Zoo, in Tacoma, Wash., Weinhardt said.

Once in their new homes, the bears will be quarantined and rehabilitated, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Suarez Brothers brought seven polar bears to this U.S. Caribbean territory in May 2001, sparking outcry from activists who said arctic animals should not perform in the tropics.

Ten months later, U.S. officials removed a bear named Alaska, saying the circus had false documents on her origin. Alaska was moved to the Baltimore Zoo.

U.S. federal wildlife authorities inspected the remaining six bears this year and determined their quarters were inhumane, unhealthy and inadequate. The bears were kept mostly in small cages, with only occasional access to swimming pools or air conditioning, in violation of U.S. law.

A videotape recorded by Puerto Rican animal activists showed the bears drooling and swaying in 113-degree August heat without water. Their fur was crusted with dirt.

The Guadalajara-based circus, touring elsewhere in the Caribbean, was not available for comment. It had left the bears behind in Puerto Rico because other stops on the tour, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, denied the bears access.

In March, a Puerto Rican District Court judge acquitted the circus' owner, Raul Suarez, of a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty.