We are working to rescue two captive bears suffering at a Russian restaurant
News
We have stepped in to respond to a desperate appeal to save two bears kept in horrific conditions at a restaurant in Russia.
For the last 20 years, since they were tiny cubs, the bears have been held in captivity outside a restaurant in Sochi, Russia. Kept in filthy, cramped cages these defenceless animals have been denied a natural life, and instead fed a diet of junk food by guests and even made to drink beer. Instead of grass and earth beneath their paws, home is a barren concrete bunker behind a steel fence.
This week a court order comes into effect, making the local Ministry of Natural Resources responsible for seizing the bears from the current owner. We are petitioning the Ministry of Natural Resources in the region to give active assistance to help facilitate the movement of the bears from Sochi to a new home. We have arranged space for them at the pioneering bear sanctuary we fund in Romania, run by Asociatia Milioane de Prieteni (AMP).
We will work closely with local authorities to help rescue and relocate the two animals to the Romanian bear sanctuary.
Our Chief Executive, Mike Baker, said: “After years of neglect, poor diet and abuse, these incredibly vulnerable bears are in urgent need of veterinary care and attention. Reports are that one of them is completely blind. We couldn’t ignore the desperate appeals to step in and save these poor animals, so we have committed to rescue them and our experts are on standby to act.
We are working with our local partners, Big Hearts Foundation, to rescue the bears from their miserable conditions and to move them to the space and freedom of the AMP Romanian Bear Sanctuary, so that the first time in their 20-year lives they will the experience freedom that has been denied them for so long.”
Our work to protect wild animals and keep them where they belong, in the wild, doesn't stop here. Animals are suffering for entertainment all around the world. We’re campaigning to put an end to cruel animal attractions everywhere.
After years of neglect, poor diet and abuse, these incredibly vulnerable bears are in urgent need of veterinary care and attention.
Campaign update
Within a week of launching the petition, the bears were successfully removed from the restaurant. Thanks to over 130,000 of you who signed the petition, the two bears have been able to enjoy a new quality of life away from the cruel animal entertainment industry. We couldn't have done it without your help. Find out more on how you can help animals to stay in the wild.