Freedom for three orphaned bear siblings in Bulgaria
FOUR PAWS helps to release bear trio into the wild after a year of wildlife ‘schooling’ in Greece
BOSTON MA - MAY 7 2019- New start for the three orphaned brown bears that made international headlines in April 2018 after being found alone in the Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria.
Just yesterday, the bears named Radostina, Jonas and Mitko, were released in the Central Balkan National Park in Bulgaria. The was the culmination of a years’ worth of work by many parties including the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters, FOUR PAWS International and the team from the DANCING BEARS PARK Belitsa sanctuary. The release of the bears, now 15 months old, was preceded by a year of intensive wilderness preparation at a specialised Greek sanctuary. All three siblings were equipped with GPS transmitters to monitor their behaviour and adaptation to their new environment.
When the two males and their sister were found in the Rhodope Mountains on April 21st 2018, their age was estimated to be around three months. There was no trace of their mother, who is believed to have fallen victim to poachers. First, the bear siblings were accommodated at the DANCING BEARS PARK Belitsa, which is funded by FOUR PAWS and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. After a month of intensive care, the brown bears were strong enough to be transferred to the Greek bear sanctuary Arcturos. The team there is specialised in rehabilitating orphaned bear cubs and preparing them for release back into the wild. Now a year later, the bear trio has returned to Bulgaria.
On May 5, 2019, they started their ten-hour journey in a special bear transporter going from Greece to the Bulgarian Central Balkan National Park. There, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters, together with FOUR PAWS and the DANCING BEARS PARK Belitsa, released the bears in the early morning hours on May 6th.
Bulgaria is one of the few European countries with a stable population of wild brown bears. According to the latest research, between 500 and 1,000 brown bears live in the two largest mountain ranges in Bulgaria – the Balkan Mountains and the Rila-Rhodope Mountains. Many of the bears migrate to neighboring countries, such as Greece, Serbia, and North Macedonia.
The nearly 30 acres at the DANCING BEARS PARK Belitsa, located in the Bulgarian Rila Mountains, makes it one of the largest bear sanctuary in the Balkans. It was opened in 2000 and is financed by FOUR PAWS and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. Initially, the sanctuary provided housing for only former dancing bears from Bulgaria. After 2007, when all Bulgarian dancing bears were confiscated, the sanctuary then started rescuing dancing bears from other Balkan countries, such as Serbia and Albania, as well as bears from Bulgarian substandard zoos. Currently, 25 rescued bears live in species-appropriate, spacious enclosures with dense forests and ponds in the DANCING BEARS PARK Belitsa.
FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organization for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need, and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organization advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy, and understanding. FOUR PAWS’ sustainable campaigns and projects focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats, and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam, as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.fourpawsusa.org