Two bears at a German zoo face a cold and embarrassing winter — they have gone completely bald.
Dolores and Lolita are South American spectacled bears and should now be thickening their already fluffy natural coats in preparation for the change of seasons.
But they are instead bare-skinned except for tufts around their faces — much to the alarm and confusion of keepers at Leipzig Zoo.
The Daily Mail reports veterinarians are so concerned, they have written to other zoos around the world to get any information that may exist about the phenomenon.
A genetic condition is suspected as the animals do not seem to be suffering from any other affliction.
But the lack of fur has resulted in nasty rashes and inflammations.
The spectacled bear is also known as the Andean bear and is native to the mountainous regions of Central and South America.
The usually black-and-gold-coated beasts are the only species of bear native to the south of the continent and have survived thanks to their prodigious tree-climbing ability.
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