Writing / Voice of Michoacán

Morelia, Michoacan. On November 12, 2018, four years ago, the polar bear Yupik, who lived at the Benito Juárez Zoo in Morelia and was 27 years old, died.

As well as being loved by the Morelians who adopted him as a family, Yupik became a banner in the fight for animal rights, as years before his death, activists from across the country called for the bear’s transfer to another suitable habitat. for its species, far from the hot climate of the Michoacan capital.

The animal group pressured the authorities to improve its captive conditions, which led to some improving of the bear’s conditions, but its removal never materialised.

Even the actor Eugenio Derbez asked the Mexican Government to transfer the specimen to the UK for adequate treatment, because since 2016 he has suffered from dilated heart disease, among other diseases.

Yupik was rescued in Alaska in 1992 after his burrow was destroyed by excavations. At that time, Yupik was just born and three months later arrived in Morelia, where he lived until he was 27 years old.

In the last months of his life, the animal attracted the attention of various animal rights organizations, while in society he divided opinions and created controversy on social networks between those who requested his removal, and those who wanted him to remain in the city.

The Mexican Association of Zoos, Hatcheries and Aquariums (AZCARM) indicated that the conditions of transfer would not be good for the bear’s health, as more than 15 hours of flight – during which he will be given sedation – is a risk to the bear. animal health at this age, considered a very mature specimen taking into account that the life expectancy of this species is 18 years in the wild.