Leela not long after she moved in the Balkasar bear sanctuary

Rest in Peace, Leela the bear

News

It is with great sadness that we share that Leela, one of the resident bears at our partner sanctuary in Pakistan, has passed away.

After eight peaceful years spent as living at Balkasar bear sanctuary, Leela passed away as a result of a parasitic infection. Despite the best efforts of the vets, sadly, she wasn't able to fight off her illness and passed away at the age of 16.

Tragic past

Before being surrendered to the sanctuary in 2011, Leela had spent several years being forced to fight with dogs.

Her vision was severely impaired, the claws on her hind limbs were cut and her front teeth were likely ripped out when she was younger.

Bear

Life in the sanctuary

When Leela arrived at Balkasar, she immediately seemed comfortable in her new home and put on some healthy weight. She loved digging, hanging by the pool and spending time with other bears - even if her blindness sometimes brought her to take some alone time.

Leela shared a special bond with another female bear named Bhoori. They both survived a tragic past being used as bait bears in dog fights.

Bear

Thanks to people like you, Leela was able to live out the rest of her life in the peace and tranquillity of Balkasar sanctuary, all thanks to people like you.

While Leela will always hold a special place in our hearts, there are other bears that urgently need your help.

Help a bear

Thanks to people like you, Leela was able to live out the rest of her life in the peace and tranquillity of Balkasar sanctuary.

Libearty bear sanctuary

Bear facts

Did you know there are eight species of bears including the Asiatic black bear, sloth bear, sun bear, and brown bear?

Wild elephant in Udawalawa National Park Sri Lanka

Our wildlife work

Around the world, wild animals are being exploited. They’re hunted down, trapped and farmed in captivity, all to be sold and abused for entertainment, medicine, fashion, pets and products.

More about