FOUR PAWS completes successful rescue of three bear cubs
After receiving 24-hour care at the sanctuary for the past few weeks, the bear cubs were successfully transferred this week
International animal protection organisation FOUR PAWS has successfully completed the transfer of three orphaned bear cubs from Bulgaria to Greece, where the cubs will now receive species-appropriate care to prepare them for life in the wild.
On Saturday, April 21, three 3-month-old bear cubs were found without their mother near the village of Barutin in the Rhodope mountains in southern Bulgaria. Most likely orphaned as a result of their mother being killed or chased away by poachers, the two female and one male cubs were in desperate need of assistance.
The Ministry of Environment and Water, together with regional environment and water inspectors, decided to bring the cubs to the nearby DANCING BEARS PARK Belitsa, a sanctuary run by FOUR PAWS and the BRIGITTE BARDOT FOUNDATION. During the cubs’ time at the sanctuary, they were examined and cared for by veterinarians, quickly doubling their size in just one month.
After receiving 24-hour care at the sanctuary for the past few weeks, the bear cubs were successfully transferred this week to bear rescue and rehabilitation centre ARCTUROS in Greece. Specialising in raising orphaned bears, the centre will provide the three cubs with care suited to their species and prepare them for life in the wild.
Elise Burgess
Head of CommunicationsM: 0423 873 382
FOUR PAWS Australia
GPO Box 2845
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Main Phone: 1800 454 228
FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation 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 organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, animals in fashion, 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.four-paws.org.au