On November 22, the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization and SOS Zoo and Bear Rescue charities in the Ukraine saved three brown bears held captive in the eastern Lviv region of the country.
Source: The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization
The bears, named Borya, Boerie and Jen, were shut in a tiny, badly maintained cage which they never left and in need of urgent medical attention that their owner couldn't afford. So, the charity set about setting them free, hoping to take them to a brown bear rescue center in Synevir park several hours drive away.
The two charities regularly have to intervene in Ukraine where many brown bears live in similar conditions to those saved in November.
Source: The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organizaiton
All three of the bears were living in a cage far too small for them which was covered in their excrement, which was never cleaned up. They were all covered in wounds and scabs, showing how ill they were.They needed to be released urgently for the sake of their health, but also because their quarantine enclosures had to be built before the heavy winter snows started to fall.
Thanks to the charities, the Ministry of Ecology, Synevir National Park and numerous other volunteers, the bears were transferred to the park in time.The long journey to their new home was followed by six television channels. After a tense moment, where the bears' former owner refused to let the cameramen onto his property, the trio was tranquilized and put into transportation cages.
The van transporting the animals was in such a poor state of repair that the hours long journey had to be done all in one go, in case it wouldn't start up again.
After a long, difficult journey, the bears were settled into quarantine. Lionel de Lange, the head of Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization's Ukrainian branch described Borya, Boerie and Jen's first few moments in their new home in a post on Facebook:
Within a few minutes they were all relaxed, eating and drinking. Borya (light coloured male) started prepping his bed by scrapping all his straw together and seemed to bond with another rescued bear, Nastya. So there might be romance in the air.
Source: The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization
Now, the bears are going to be able to enjoy a peaceful new life after recovering from their long ordeal.Bears are often victim of this kind of abuse, especially in Asia where they are exploited for their bile, an ingredient in many traditional medicine recipes. Just two months ago, a bear with no tongue was saved from a bile farm in Vietnam and, more recently, a mom and baby were spotted being forced to take pictures with tourists in Bali.To support the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organization en Ukraine, click here.
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