“We thought that after the scandal in Gyumri Zoo, “Daily Mail” would leave us alone, but a few days ago the magazine again touched upon our country. And this is just the beginning. In fact, once again Armenia appeared in the centre of an international scandal. This time it is about the brown bears registered in the Red Book, whose protection should have been specially organized. However, state agencies continue to be indifferent towards animal protection”, said ecologist Karine Panosyan.
The bears that are kept in cages in the restaurant yard hungry and in miserable conditions were fixed by “Daily Mail’s” camera. The Ministry of Nature Protection has started an investigation and found out, that only part of the bears kept in cages live in normal conditions: “In every city in Armenia, there are bears kept in the cages placed in private areas, including Yerevan and Hrazdan. There are at least 7-8 restaurants in Yerevan where bears are kept. One of the restaurants even has a wolf”.
According to Karen Martirosyan, the founder of the “Exotarium” animal centre, only sanctions cannot help: “People should understand that 2-3-month-old bear cub kept at home today will become a disaster after some. On the other hand, foreign animal protection organizations enjoy throwing mud at us, but do not offer solutions”.
According to Artyom Vardanyan, the director of the “Jambo” exotic park, those who keep animals in improper conditions must be punished by law. Nare Aramyan, the Armenian representative of the “Pro Pause” international animal protection organization shared the same opinion: “We have prepared a letter to the government asking for a comprehensive solution regarding a responsible treatment towards animals”.
Arpine SIMONYAN
