The Government is to set up a memorial zone at Flora Garden to commemorate “Bobo”, an Asian black bear that lived in Macao for more than three decades.

The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau said it was deeply sorry to confirm the death of Bobo, regarded by many members of the Macao public as something like an old friend.

Bobo died at 11am on Tuesday (20 November) at the age of 35, said the Bureau. Despite the Government’s best efforts and veterinary treatment given to him, Bobo had been in deteriorating health – including dysfunction of multiple internal organs – in his later years. In the past few days he had been unable either to eat by himself or to walk.

The bear had a history of arthritis and eye cataracts in recent years and had suffered from the effects of the bacterial infection Klebsiella pneumoniae, which it had contracted in January 2018.

The Bureau noted Asian black bears had an average lifespan of 30 years.

Bobo had been in Macao since 1986*. He was moved to an enclosure in Flora Garden after being rescued by the authorities from a restaurant, according to a contemporary report from a member of the public. Bobo was named after a bear appearing in a then-popular television soap opera.

Note: it was updated according to archive materials.