A dying mountain bear held captive at a cafe in Azerbaijan was forced to drink Coca-Cola for the amusement of customers. It died shortly, and was replaced by another bear.
The incident came to light after a video of the cruel incident was released by Daryl Willard, a British sports coach who was working in the former Soviet republic. The pictures were taken last month in the city of Gabala.
Willard told The Sun: "People cheered and shouted as they watched the starving bear drink from the cola bottle and eat sandwich leftovers they threw. A few days after it died, there was a new one."
The pictures showed the malnourished bear gripping the plastic bottle with its paws in a cramped, squalid cage.
When he returned to the cafe a few days later, the British coach found that he bear had died and had been replaced by another one. The cafe's owner told Willard, "We just catch a new one up in the mountains."
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Born Free Foundation have called the incident "shocking" and "a disgrace".
Azerbaijan's embassy in London dismissed the mistreatment as an "isolated case".
The Sun has a video of the inhuman act.
