Woman Killed by “Pet” Bear
Via Unzipped, Armenia Now reports that a 59-year-old cleaning woman has been killed by a bear kept by the head of Armenia’s Military Police. According to the report, it is also believed that the Military Police headquarters in Yerevan is home to a tiger raising serious concerns as to the rule of law and abuse of position in Armenia.
The family refuses to give the alleged victim’s surname; they only say that a woman named Jasmine, 59, who was a cleaning lady at the department, was killed on Thursday. The sources say the bear escaped its cage while attendants entered to feed it. It is said that the woman was taken to hospital where she died of wounds. The family says it was called to identify the body and saw that she had suffered an attack.
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The family refuses to give further information. The Military Police refused to answer ArmeniaNow’s question concerning the alleged event.
A1 Plus also covers the news leading us to assume that the story has now been confirmed. This seems to be the case given that Yerevan’s zoo has been approached for comment.
According to A1+’s data, it is not the first time a bear has descended on people in the territory of the police. Last year a bear killed a serviceman. Another soldier committed suicide when suggested to feed a bear.
To note: a few months ago the Military Police suggested the zoo allotting a cage for the bear but the zoo administration turned down the proposal.
Today we inquired from the zoo what factors their denial was accounted for. “We had no vacant cage,” the director said.
Meanwhile, Unzipped implies that the story does not surprise him and quotes another blogger as saying that owning an animal such as a lion, tiger, or bear is considered a sign of “masculinity” among the rich and powerful in Armenia (read corrupt).
Private zoo-s are not uncommon in Armenia for some time now. Reporter_am notes that for rich Armenians having a lion or tiger, or at least a bear, is a sort of symbol of power and masculinity. But why on earth Military Police chief keeps his bear (and tiger?) within the premises of its Yerevan HQ, which is not a private enterprise but a state office? How legal is it? Isn’t being a head of Military Police not enough a symbol of macho masculinity? Who will be responsible for the death of that innocent woman?
That seems like a rhetorical question to me. The person responsible is the head of the Military Police, Vladimir Gasparyan, and he should be held accountable before the law and removed from his position. Perhaps cleaning out the cages at the Yerevan Zoo would be a good career move for him.
Of course, nothing will happen at all, although some money might change hands to “compensate” the family for their loss. It will also keep them quiet if the likelihood of being frightened half to death by the head of Military Police if they take this further isn’t enough for them.
I wonder if this was the same bear which was used to terrify a village chief during the recent parliamentary elections. I was told that a village chief ( I cant remember the village name) was requested to provide 99% votes for the Republican Party but because he refused he was put into the bear’s cage. The bear was on leash but the leash was extended slowly allowing the beast to get closer. Eventually the village chief got heart attack and was paralyzed.
Comment by Haik — November 6, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
According to the A1 Plus report the bear didn’t have a cage so I’m guessing it’s another one, would you believe? Typical.Oh, I misread. There was a cage, and the Yerevan Zoo reference is to requesting they house him? Hmmm, well, sounds like someone is trying to make up an excuse now why a bear was being kept in the MP HQ. I mean, sounds logical doesn’t it? Couldn’t keep the bear at the zoo because there were no free cages so, er, he was kept in the headquarters of the Military Police.
Yeah, right.
Comment by Onnik — November 6, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
I read the A1+ story and it was so bizarre that I couldn’t understand anything. Why would they keep a wild animal in Military Police? Degenerates! Their hunger for machismo can’t be satisfied by driving monster-size “environment killing” cars, or by building ugly palaces any more. Poor woman! Poor bear!
Comment by Nanul — November 6, 2007 @ 7:16 pm