Three sloth bears die in freezing temperatures after plane grounded at Belgium airport: report

Three sloth bears reportedly have died in Belgium after the cargo plane they were being transported in was grounded during a winter storm.

The incident happened at Liege Airport over the weekend of Jan. 21-22, when aircraft that landed had trouble navigating taxiways because of snow and ice, according to the Belgium news website Aviation24.be.

Three of the of nine sloth bears traveling on the plane from Peru, which was en route to Qatar, died in the cold after being left onboard, Reuters reported, citing the SudInfo newspaper.

“We are going to look at what are the responsibilities and what sanctions should be taken in light of that,” Céline Tellier, the regional minister for animal welfare, reportedly told Bel-RTL radio.

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Hana, a female sloth bear, inspects her new home at the Asia Trail area of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 11, 2006. Three sloth bears died of the cold in Belgium this January after the plane they were traveling in was grounded because of a winter storm, reports say.
(Reuters/Molly Riley)

Temperatures in the area that weekend were around 30 degrees.

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The container carrying the bears on the plane was opened after about 24 hours because the aircraft became blocked on the taxiway and couldn’t be reached safely due to the wintry conditions, Aviation24.be reports.