Pic of polar bear lying on pool of ice sparks outrage, US zoo shares clarification. Viral

The picture was taken at Missouri's Saint Louis Zoo. (Image: @dom_lucre/X)

A picture of a polar bear lying on the ground with its head on a small pool of ice has sparked concerns among people. As the image from Missouri’s Saint Louis Zoo spread like wildfire on the internet, social media went into a tizzy and started discussing about the inappropriate living conditions for animals in zoos.

The photo, shared by Dom Lucre on X, showed Kali, a polar bear from brought to the zoo in 2015 when he was found orphaned in northern Alaska. In the now-viral picture, Kali was seen lying limp on barren ground with some ice under his head. The post sparked outrage among social media users who slammed the zoo authorities for “animal abuse”.

“People are concerned about the living conditions in the Saint Louis zoo after this photo of a polar bear lying on ice began going viral. A visitor of the zoo took this photo yesterday and began to raise concerns,” read the caption of the post by Lucre.

pic.twitter.com/VjnJ5eH5ni

— April 1, 2024

The post went viral with over 11 million views and tons of reactions from furious social media users.

“Why wouldn't they put more ice? I can't stand zoos. It's a prison for them. This is so sad,” one user wrote. Another user commented, “Zoos should be illegal it’s basically a prison for animals. Free the animal.”

“That was the last zoo I ever went to when I was still in school and never went back. And it’s definitely one of the worst,” a third user remarked.

A fourth user added, “When I was a kid I loved zoos because I love animals. As an adult, I hate zoos because I love animals. If they're taking care of animals properly that can't live in the wild- it's fine, but keeping a polar bear in this type of weather environment is cruel.”

Responding to the backlash as the picture garnered traction, the Saint Louis Zoo shared a clarification and claimed that the polar bear is healthy and just relaxing. “The photo shows a content, healthy bear relaxing on a bed of ice in his favourite napping pose. Bears, just like a lot of animals and pets, sleep in all sorts of positions (yes, sometimes even ones that seem odd). This is normal bear behaviour seen both in zoos and in the wild.”

The photo shows a content, healthy bear relaxing on a bed of ice in his favorite napping pose. Bears, just like a lot of animals and pets, sleep in all sorts of positions (yes, sometimes even ones that seem odd). This is normal bear behavior seen both in zoos and in the wild.

— Saint Louis Zoo (@stlzoo) April 1, 2024

“Polar bear Kali has the choice to stay inside in air conditioning or go into his outside habitat. Most of the time, he chooses to go outside. His habitat is full of fun enrichment and has multiple ice machines, cooling fans, shade, and saltwater pools kept cool year-round,” the statement read further.