catalinawatson
Brown bears in Europe have had a tough life in the past decades. Take those in the Albanian mountains, for example. This is a sad story, but finally, the bears get their happy ending! Years ago, small brown bears were captured in the mountains, being shot with tranquilizers. As they woke up, the life they once knew was far from what they experienced. They lived for years in cages behind Albanian restaurants.
One of them was Tomi. He, Gjina, Pashuk, and many others were called “the saddest bears in Europe.”
But now, they are the happiest bears in Europe!
20. Life in Chains
These bears lived their entire lives in cages. All of it was done to attract tourists, and the owners of the restaurants didn’t properly care for them. But the Albanian government and Four Paws freed them…
19. A Sad Spectacle
The only purpose of those bears was to entertain tourists, but it was all only a sad spectacle. But rescue was on its way. These bears would soon set foot on the grass and get all the care and love they needed at a special sanctuary.
18. People Were Mad
As soon as these photos reached international news outlets, people were outraged. After so much pressure of freeing the bears, the Albanian government stepped in and cooperated with the kind people at the Four Paws!
17. A Bright Future
These bears’ bright future awaits. But their past can be seen in how they look and how reluctant they are in getting out of their enclosures and stroll in the open. However, with time, they will grow confident!
16. Gijna, the Skinny Bear
For example, Gijna was supposed to be 450 pounds considering her age. But when she was saved from the cage, she weighed only 140 pounds! Thanks to the huge enclosures at the sanctuary, she will have plenty of room to grow!
15. Tomi, the Beginning of the Story
Tomi was the first bear saved from a life inside the cage, and he was the reason why other bears like him got a new chance at a better life. He lived in a concrete cell, next to the toilets of a restaurant…
14. A Horrible Place
Carsten Hertwig, a bear expert at Four Paws, said in a press release that Tomi’s teeth were badly damaged, that he had injuries on his upper body and it was ‘high time he was brought out of this horrible place.’
13. The Lone Pashuk
Pashuk is a solitary bear that was reluctant to go outside his enclosure to meet the other bears. He was found chained and almost strangled by his steel collar. His owners hadn’t changed it since he was a cub!
12. ‘Never Seen Anything Like This’
‘I saw many suffering bears, but I have never seen anything like this,’ said Carsten Hertwig, explaining how deep the chain was. The skin grew over the collar because his owners never removed it since they put him in chains…
11. Locked Inside a Shed
Pashuk’s life was a nightmare. To be stolen from the woods as a cub, and grow without a mother! Hertwig said that the owners ‘locked him in the shed and never removed the chain ever since.’ But rescuers came to take him away!
10. ‘Wonderful News!’
A news release from Four Paws updated the followers: ‘Wonderful news: Albanian authorities confiscate Tomi, the Bear. We are organizing his transfer to a brand new life!’ And soon, Pashuk and Gjina will get their new life!
9. Heaven – Close to Pristina, Kosovo
The wildlife sanctuary near Pristina, Kosovo was getting some heavy crates. And when the crates opened, two bears that were prisoners all their lives took their first steps on the grass. It was their new home!
8. Tomi and Gjina
The first two bears that arrived at the sanctuary were once among ‘the saddest bears in Europe,’ but now, they wake up every day and smell the freedom they have in the sanctuary. Here’s Tomi’s first memorable experience…
7. A Day at the Pool
Bears love to take baths, and Tomi soon discovered that this is going to be his favorite past time. As for Gjina, she had to learn how to walk more confidently out in the great wide space. Then, Pashuk came along!
6. ‘Bear Necessities’
Thomas Pietsch, a wild animal expert at Four Paws, said that ‘from now on, they’ll be given the care they need in an appropriate environment, and will want for nothing.’ It was indeed time they all got their happy life. Pashuk had to get used to being free…
5. Pashuk Needed Medical Attention
Before being released on the Prishtina Bear Sanctuary, Pashuk had to have his collar removed. He finally arrived at the sanctuary, but his long life of living all alone in a shed since he was only a cub, took a toll on him.
4. A Little Scared
The poor bear wasn’t brave enough to emerge from his enclosure to meet the bears and to run in the open. He chose to take things slowly, but when he decides to get out, he’ll be among friends!
3. Free Again!
The communications director at Four Paws, Claire LaFrance, said that the bears will receive the ‘highest standard of care for the rest of their lives,’ and that they are ‘free from the confines and isolation of inadequate captivity.’
2. The First Wave
Tomi, Gijna, and Pashuk were the first of Albanian bears that were freed. But the rescue still has almost 50 bears to save in Albania, said LaFrance: ‘We hope that, for all of Albania’s ‘saddest bears’ languishing in small cages, we are able to give them this very same, very happy ending.’
1. A Better Life
The bears have 40 acres of space they share together, and their lives are finally happy. They have nothing to worry about. Food, medical care, a large space and being with their kind is all they would ever wish for!
Silvia
