Why Are These Bears Losing Their Fur?

The Leipzig Zoo in Germany is facing a very bizarre problem - Their female bears, Dolores and Lolita are losing all their fur and nobody knows why it is happening.

The two bears that are native to South America, normally have fluffy dark brown hair, which grows even thicker, during the winter months, but instead these two have been left with just tufts of hair all over their body.

While the condition is not life threatening, the poor bears are developing nasty rashes and inflammation on their skin due to the lack of fur. The zoo officials have no idea what to do and are appealing to animal experts all over the world, for help.

The only bright side is, that the Zoo is attracting a lot more visitors, all flocking to see this unusual phenomenon.

Also known as Andean Bear, the Spectacled Bear is one of the smaller species of the animals, that are native to South America. They get their name from the distinctive lighter coloring around their eyes which often resemble 'spectacles'. The primarily vegetarian animals are pretty docile, attacking only if they perceive a threat to their young ones. They are very proficient climbers and are often found nestling on trees in the Andes Mountains .

sources:telegraph.co.uk,bbcnew.co.uk, latimesblog.com