voliatesIt’s pretty common to see someone out on a walk with their dog. Dogs have been domesticated and can be trained to walk with a leash. However, the same cannot be said of a wild animal. That’s why when people saw a man dragging around a bear cub on a leash, everyone knew that an intervention was necessary.
20. Baby Bear
A baby bear that was only a few months old found himself in a terrible predicament. He was scared and had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he desperately missed his mother…
19. Leashed
In the town of Gyumri, Armenia, people were in shock when they saw one young man dragging around a baby bear cub on a leash. The man didn’t seem to see the situation as problematic and this caused onlookers to be even more concerned. They knew they had to take action!
18. Pictures
Onlookers began to take pictures of the situation. However, they weren’t taking them to later post onto their Facebook page. The people of Gyumri decided to alert an animal rescue center.
17. Animal Rescue
Pictures were immediately sent over to the International Animal Rescue (IAR) and Foundation of the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC). Both of these organizations rescue bears in Armenia and their project is known as the Great Bear Rescue.
16. Terrified
“Witnesses contacted us after seeing the cub being dragged through the streets on a leash like a dog. He was trembling with fear whilst being pulled along by his neck. He must have been terrified,” the IAR wrote on Facebook. So the animal rescue team got started on tracking the man down.
15. Tracked Down
Eventually, the animal rescue group was able to track down the man and convince him to give up the bear. It is illegal to keep a wild animal in captivity in Armenia, so the man would be breaking the law by keeping the bear any longer.
14. Naming Him
The rescue team was horrified when they finally saw the little baby bear, whom they named Leo. Leo was obviously scared and was shaking from fear. They soon realized that Leo was also suffering from another trauma outside of being dragged by a leash…
13. Trauma
From Leo’s behavior, the rescue team could detect that he had undergone a traumatic early life. The animal rescue team assumed that Leo may have watched his mother get killed and then the hunters took him into captivity.
12. A Pet
“It seemed that Leo was just being kept as a pet, but of course, once he had grown bigger and stronger, it would no longer be possible to treat him like a domestic pet,” Lis Key, PR and communications manager for IAR, told The Dodo. “The chances are that he would have ended up in a cage.”
11. Malnourished
Leo was in pretty bad shape when the rescuers found him. The young bear cub was not only traumatized but he was also terribly malnourished and dehydrated. They weren’t sure if he would make it…
10. Too Soon
“Please be assured that he is now in our care receiving urgent treatment at our rescue center. It is too soon to say if he will make a full recovery but we are doing everything we can for this tiny cub who has no other hope of survival,” the IAR wrote.
9. Helping
The rescuers did everything in their power to help out little Leo. They wanted to make sure that he would gain his strength back. They knew that it would be a long recovery journey ahead of them.
8. Long Journey
“With no mother to keep him safe and teach him all the skills he will need to survive, Leo has a long journey of recovery ahead of him and the next few months are going to be crucial in determining his fate,” the IAR wrote. “He is a brave little bear and we are all hopeful that he will overcome the trauma and the terror he has suffered.”
7. Getting Better
Over time, Leo started to get better and better. Everyone at the rescue center was so happy about the progress that he was making. It was a great relief to everyone, especially little Leo.
6. Excellent Care
“He is receiving excellent expert care from our veterinary team and being kept under close observation while his physical and mental condition is assessed,” Key said. “It’s a great relief to have rescued little Leo before his situation and his health deteriorated any further.”
5. Far From Unusual
Sadly, Leo’s story isn’t as unique as one might assume. According to The Dodo, there are more than 60 bears being held in captivity all throughout Armenia. Some of them are even placed on display for people’s viewing pleasure at restaurants.
4. Slowly Changing
However, organization’s like IAR and FPWC are working around-the-clock to help out and rescue many of these bears. It is thanks to these organizations that bears like Leo are freed from terrible living conditions. There is also one other factor that comes into play…
3. The Internet
If it hadn’t been for the Internet, the organization claims that they never would have found out about Leo. In fact, they don’t know if they would have been able to track down the man keeping Leo captive either without the Internet’s help!
2. Helpful
“Had it not been for the internet, we might never have known about him — or only when it was already too late to save to him,” Key said about Leo. “Thankfully, he is in safe hands now and on the road to a much brighter future.”
1. Return
The rescuers at the center have been continuously looking after Leo. They hope to be able to return him back to the forest once he is fully rehabilitated and old enough to survive on his own.
Brittany
Todd Sumamno
