Bear and Romanian bear sanctuary

Life is fun for rescued bear cubs

News

If you happened to visit the Romanian bear sanctuary this year to catch glimpses of the rescued bears in their forested enclosures, two lively little bears were kept well out of sight.

The two male cubs, named Bim and Bam, were found by Romanian forestry officials five months ago and brought to the sanctuary for specialist care.

Their seclusion from the public is vital because inappropriate human contact could affect their return to the wild, explains Victor Watkins our wildlife advisor.

“They are thriving thanks to the expert care our partner Asociatia Milioane de Prieteni (AMP) has given them. In July, they were moved into the forest enclosure – which has trees and a lot of natural vegetation, a pool a den and it has CCTV cameras so the AMP staff can monitor them.”

“Their playfights are great fun to see – it’s easy to see why the names Bim and Bam were chosen for them! They are certainly very different bears from when they were found weak and dehydrated by forestry officials,” Mr Watkins said.

Bim and Bam will stay there for around a year to see how they progress before a decision is taken on their future in the wild. But in the meantime they spend their days rolling and tumbling around with each other.

The future is looking bright for the boisterous bears, but a return to the wild cannot be guaranteed yet.

“They’ll continue to be carefully evaluated for return by myself and AMP. We want to make sure that if they can take their place among Romania’s 5,000 wild bears they will have the best possible chance of survival.” 

You could help us keep a rescued bear fed and healthy by giving an animal protecting gift. 

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