A polar bear that is said to suffer from depression after losing his mate is "too old" to be moved from a zoo in Argentina, wildlife officials told the BBC.
Arturo, who is 28-years-old, is currently at the Mendoza zoo in western Argentina, but a zoo in Canada has offered to house Arturo where its colder conditions are more suitable for him, a Change.org petition to Argentina's president states.
Temperatures in Mendoza can reach more than 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Another polar bear died during a 2012 heat wave in the capital Buenos Aires.
"After this death, refusal to transfer Arturo causes scandal in the world and Mendoza is becoming sadly famous for this, exporting an image of a retrograde province," reads the petition to President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner.
The polar bear's habitat at the zoo is also a threat to his life, the news channel France 24 previously reported. Videos reportedly taken from the zoo in 2012 show him living in a concrete enclosure with a shallow pool for swimming.
Arturo is believed to have been depressed ever since his partner Pelusa died of cancer in 2012, the BBC reported. The director of Mendoza zoo, Gustavo Pronotto, said the polar bear is too frail to be sedated and moved.
"Arturo is close to his caretakers," Pronotto told the Associated Press. "We just want everyone to stop bothering the bear."
Veterinarians in Argentina also agree that keeping Arturo there is the best thing for him.
The Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Canada, said it did not partake in the Mendoza zoo's decision, the BBC reported. As of Wednesday morning the petition has reached 595, 613 signatures out of a goal of 1 million.
Polar bears usually live between 15 and 18 years. But in captivity they can live to be over 30, according France 24. One Canadian polar bear lived to be 42.
