The 4-month-old cub had entered Castaños town, in the Mexican state of Coahuila, where residents tied its legs together, beat it, and choked it to death, according to Mexico News Daily.
Pictures of the incident posted on social media show local people dragging it along the ground with rope. Villagers can be seen holding the rope at both ends and pulling the bear, who is in the center of a circle of people.
Villagers can be seen smiling in the photographs as they continue to surround the bear cub. The residents eventually killed the animal by choking it to death. Pictures show the cub lying dead after it was tortured.
Coahuila Governor Miguel Riquelme said on Twitter that authorities, including the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA), have now launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
“At #Coahuila we will not tolerate animal abuse, our commitment is to ensure the protection of our species and the environment. This act of cruelty will not go unpunished,” the governor said on Twitter.
Mexican black bears are a protected species. The species has suffered from habitat loss and poaching in previous years. Despite being protected, poaching remains an issue in some areas, and body parts and skins are still occasionally sold illegally.
The culprits could face jail time as well as a fine, according to Mexico News Daily.
Arturo Islas Allende, an actor and well-known environmental activist, posted photographs of the incident on Facebook and said authorities “must act quickly” by not just sanctioning those responsible, but state police officers who did nothing to intervene.
In a Facebook post, Allende said the bear was “treated worse than the cruelest criminal.”
“It gives rage to see in the evidence that there was police presence and did nothing but smile and have fun as if it were a circus event,” he said, calling on the government to take action.
Newsweek has contacted PROFEPA for comment.
Human and wildlife conflict has been on the rise around the world, largely due to habitat loss.
When habitats are destroyed, animals may wander into populated areas in search of resources. As climate change creates hotter temperatures and changes predictable weather patterns, wild animals may struggle to find water, forcing them to look for it elsewhere.
Black bears are a shy and elusive species. They rarely pose a threat to people unless directly threatened. It is not clear where the cub’s mother was at the time of the incident. Female bears are fiercely protective of their cubs, who are usually too vulnerable to fend off any threats.
