FOUR PAWS rescues animals in need all over the world. The vast majority of the animals in our care are rescued from circumstances where they are being exploited for human entertainment, and this Giving Tuesday, which falls on December 3, we are raising funds to rescue more animals from this sad fate.  Bears, big cats, elephants, and other animals are used as everything from selfie props to circus performers and other forms of tourist attraction. Read more about our Giving Tuesday campaign Our Turn to Act.

While it is very difficult to see how much these animals suffer in exploitive captivity, it is incredibly uplifting to see their resilience once they arrive at our sanctuaries. Enjoy these amazing before and after stories highlighting just a few of our rescued animals.

Manuschka

Manuschka was only three months old when she was separated from her family, and along with her half-brother, sold to a German circus. For many years she was forced to perform for crowds, and her life become all the more tragic when her brother passed away unexpectedly, and Manuschka was left all alone. FOUR PAWS was able to rescue Manuschka earlier this year, and after a brief stay at TIERART Wild Animal Sanctuary in Germany, in October, she moved to FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands. Manuschka is a calm and curious lioness who is very interested in her surroundings.

MANUSCHKA BEFORE

MANUSCHKA AFTER

Sylvia & Pavle

Brown bears Sylvia and Pavle are siblings who were originally owned by a Serbian circus. Before their rescue, they lived in a desolate cage where they had no protection from the cold, rain, sun and other elements. Rescued in November of 2017, Sylvia & Pavle now call BEAR SANCTUARY Muritz in Germany their forever home. The siblings are inseparable, and they sometimes even hibernate together. Sylvia is known for her strong opinions and enjoying playtime in the pond. Pavle is very calm and laidback, and he particularly enjoys roaming through the woods.

SYLVIA & PAVLE BEFORE

SYLVIA & PAVLE AFTER

The Train Tigers

The “Train Tigers” have a particularly sad history. Once owned by a circus, their train carriage was abandoned by their owners and left in a field in Argentina. A helpful farmer did his best to keep the animals alive, but the tigers were stuck in this small cage for fifteen years. FOUR PAWS rescued the tigers in March of 2022, and they now reside at LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa.

TRAIN TIGERS BEFORE

TRAIN TIGERS AFTER

Bakari

Leopard Bakari was born in a German zoo, where his only purpose was to take pictures with visitors during a Christmas dinner. Once he grew larger, they had no use for Bakari and gave him away to a facility that kept him locked in a small cage. Luckily, FOUR PAWS rescued Bakari, and he now lives in a spacious, species-appropriate home at LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa. Bakari is known as a bit of a loner, but he loves all kinds of enrichments. 

BAKARI BEFORE

BAKARI AFTER

Andi

Lioness Andi was born in a Romanian zoo and sold to two young woman who wanted to use her for selfie photo shoots on the beach. Once the women learned that it is illegal to own wild animals, they gave Andi to someone else who kept her inside their home for several years before FOUR PAWS was able to rescue the her. Andi is now thriving at LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary where she lives with partner Simba. She is a confident and curious cat, who celebrated her thirteenth birthday last summer.

ANDI BEFORE

ANDI AFTER

Jeta

Jeta spent years being paraded around by a chain attached to a ring through her nose. Her owner led her all over Albania’s beaches, towns, and tourist spots in the summer heat in order to let people take selfies with her for a small fee. Every tug of the chain caused her great pain. When she wasn’t working, she spent miserable hours on a bare concrete floor, chained in a dark shed outside her owner’s house. In 2016, the Albanian authorities helped the FOUR PAWS veterinary team to free her, and Jeta now lives at BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa in Bulgaria where she enjoys spending time with fellow rescue, Svelta. 

JETA BEFORE

JETA AFTER

Mark

For more than 20 years, Mark never felt anything but cold, hard concrete under his paws. He was kept as a tourist attraction, and he spent his days locked up in a tiny cage next to a restaurant in Tirana, Albania. Mark was the last “restaurant bear” in Albania, and his rescue in 2022 signified the end of this cruel practice in the country. Mark now lives at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach in Austria where he enjoys all the comforts of a species-appropriate home.

MARK BEFORE 

MARK AFTER

Svetla

For the first seventeen years of her life, Svetla was forced to perform as a “dancing bear.” Even when not performing in cruel shows, Svetla lived in misery, kept on a short chain through her nose and tied up in her owner's backyard. In 2007, we rescued Svetla and her companion Mima, and they were brought to BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa in Bulgaria where she now enjoys living with fellow rescue, Jeta.

SVETLA BEFORE 

SVETLA AFTER

Teddy

For years, bear Teddy lived in a rusty cage at a zoo in North Macedonia. The small cage was unsafe both for Teddy and for visitors to the zoo, and the bear was not being given adequate nutrition or care. In 2020, Teddy was rescued and brought to our BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa where he now enjoys the companionship of bear Riku.  

TEDDY BEFORE

TEDDY AFTER

Simba

After Simba was featured in a music video, an outcry online lead to the lion’s rescue. Online viewers noticed that Simba was clearly injured and that the chained lion did not belong on the glitzy set. We were able to rescue Simba, along with his siblings, in October of 2021 and bring him to our FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands. Simba is a real character and is known for his excellent football skills and enjoyment of enrichments.

SIMBA BEFORE

SIMBA AFTER

Cara

Cara was just five months old when she was discovered during a police raid near Naples, Italy. She had been locked in a tiny concrete shed with no windows, and after police confiscated the illegally kept tiger, FOUR PAWS was able to provide her with a forever home at TIERART Wild Animal Sanctuary in Germany. Cara is a very curious and people-oriented cat who loves to greet TIERART visitors with a friendly snort.

CARA BEFORE

CARA AFTER

Kvitka

Born in 2008, Kvitka was abused as bait-bear to train hunting dogs in Ukraine. Held in a tiny, rusty cage and only allowed out to fight, Kvitka lived a life of pain, fear, and misery. She was rescued and transferred to BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr in the summer of 2018. Kvitka, whose name means flower, is a very gentle and cautious bear, and it has been wonderful to see her flourish in her sanctuary home.

KVITKA BEFORE

KVITKA AFTER

Cam

Asiatic black bear Cam spent a lifetime locked away in a small cage on a bile bear farm. Bear bile farming is a cruel industry which harvests bile from live bears by repeatedly piercing their abdominal wall and gallbladder, typically without proper anesthetic or pain management. Because of this painful and continual bile extraction, the bears suffer painful health problems. Luckily, Cam was rescued from this sad fate in April of 2021 and brought to our BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh in Vietnam. Charismatic Cam can now often be found playing with his friend, Mo, who was also rescued from a bile bear farm.

CAM BEFORE

CAM AFTER