second lease of life for abused circus bears
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

In Ukraine

Second lease of life for abused circus bears

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Second lease of life for abused circus bears

A shelter for bears rescued after years of torture
Zhytomyr - Arab Today

Dental treatment by the best vets, open-air accommodation and fresh fish instead of dubious leftovers and abuse -- life has changed markedly for brown bears rescued from Ukrainian circuses and restaurants.

Tortured for years by humans, the animals have received a second lease of life in the city of Zhytomyr in northwestern Ukraine.

Opened in 2012 by the Vienna-based animal welfare charity Four Paws, the shelter soon became one of the region's prime attractions.

"I saw bears before in Kiev zoos, but they were much sadder than here," Myroslava, 10, says in reference to the Ukrainian capital.

Here they are happy", says Myroslava after coming to the shelter with her school class and being particularly taken by a scarred female bare named Masha.

"I don't like the fact that she was severely beaten before and that she has scars. I was scared for her."

- A home for five - 

The whole shelter was initially built for only one bear named Nastya, who was seized from her mother when she was three months old and sold to a private zoo.

It took two months for volunteers to find her and return her to her birthplace, but Nastya's mother refused to accept her as her own.

Nastya was soon joined by another brown bear, Masha, who was rescued from a hunting dog training centre, where she served as the bait.

"We received her in a terrible state: the hair on her neck had been worn away by a collar, her tail was torn off, nose scratched", shelter manager Oleksandr Leonov tells AFP.

A law banning the training of hunting dogs on bears was only adopted in Ukraine in 2015, and it noticeably simplified the work of animal rights activists across the country.

The shelter's staff usually finds out about abused animals from ordinary people and goes straight to the location to verify the tip.

Once the bear is transported to Four Paws, a group of veterinarians from Austria and Germany come to Ukraine to make a physical examination and carry out all the necessary vaccinations.

The bear is then released into the shelter's spacious enclosure, where the creature can finally start a new life.

Four Paws park is now home to five brown bears saved from places such as roadside cafe and private circuses.

"Olya (the oldest bear in the shelter) was blind when she came here. Possibly she was blinded on purpose", manager Leonov says. 

"And her teeth were in a very bad condition. Last year dentists came here to treat her teeth and everything is much better now."

- Bears for sale - 

"It is considered fashionable to have a bear at home or in a restaurant, or to make money off people who get amused by seeing a bear on a chain", says Taras Boyko from the Four Paws wild animals department.

"This complex problem is rooted in the mentality of our people."

Maryna Shkvyrya, widely considered to be the leading scientific expert on bears in Ukraine, explains that most privately owned bears were already born in captivity, but that there was also a black market on which bears are sold.

Some bears come from the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine's west, but most are smuggled in across the border with Russia, where hunting for bears is legal and a lot of cubs are motherless. The east of the country has been ravaged by a three-year war with Russian-backed insurgents.

"These cubs are sold as a gift, as a living toy, as an animal that will be the object for training hunting dogs", Shkvyrya says.

"On the black market, prices start from $1,000 (945 euros) and go up to several thousand dollars per cub," she adds.

Four Paws plans to open another large shelter for bears in the western Lviv region in September 2017 to bring them closer to their natural habitat.

But there are no plans to release the saved bears into the wild.

Their behaviour changes dramatically while in human captivity and they may be unable to cohabitate with other animals.

"Our project gives these bears an opportunity to spend the rest of their life in normal conditions," Shkvyrya says. "And also to show people the consequences of animal abuse."

Source: AFP

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

GMT 14:04 2018 Sunday ,14 January

Fossil fuels blown away by wind

GMT 18:15 2018 Saturday ,13 January

1.5 C climate goal 'very unlikely' but doable

GMT 12:37 2018 Friday ,12 January

Race to save Indonesian croc stricken

GMT 15:08 2018 Thursday ,11 January

California mudslides death toll reaches 15

GMT 14:06 2018 Wednesday ,10 January

Philippines to protest over China activity

GMT 14:33 2018 Tuesday ,09 January

Poisonous and running out

GMT 16:42 2018 Saturday ,06 January

'World's ugliest pig' spotted

GMT 12:01 2018 Wednesday ,03 January

Hong Kong's mountain warriors
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

second lease of life for abused circus bears second lease of life for abused circus bears

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

second lease of life for abused circus bears second lease of life for abused circus bears

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today The Rake announces editorial updates

GMT 10:46 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

The Rake announces editorial updates
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Europe brings on charm and blue skies

GMT 11:51 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe brings on charm and blue skies
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today For the Variety of Interior Design Styles

GMT 10:46 2017 Tuesday ,19 December

For the Variety of Interior Design Styles
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today US Christian tourists see deep meaning

GMT 13:44 2018 Monday ,22 January

US Christian tourists see deep meaning
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:03 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 07:43 2017 Monday ,16 October

'Final phase' of battle for Raqa

GMT 07:58 2011 Monday ,17 October

Chinese stocks close 0.37 pct higher Monday

GMT 13:38 2011 Friday ,11 November

Tips to great skin and hair

GMT 16:57 2017 Tuesday ,24 January

Bahrain condemns attack on market

GMT 19:36 2017 Thursday ,13 April

Despite warning, Assad regime uses barrel bombs

GMT 18:42 2017 Tuesday ,11 April

Muscat Securities Market Loses 29 Points

GMT 11:44 2014 Saturday ,01 November

Arab League council to hold emergency meeting Sunday

GMT 09:21 2011 Monday ,17 October

Tulisa showed on X Factor

GMT 18:08 2017 Tuesday ,17 January

Jordanian Royal Decree Approves Cabinet Reshuffle

GMT 09:07 2011 Sunday ,12 June

Israel to allow limited goods into Gaza

GMT 12:16 2011 Saturday ,18 June

Marilyn Monroe dress stars in Hollywood sale

GMT 13:42 2011 Sunday ,30 October

Watermelon helps reduce atherosclerosis

GMT 21:45 2017 Thursday ,27 April

US dollar exchange rate stable at major banks

GMT 13:20 2018 Monday ,01 January

Lewis Hamilton Instagram account emptied

GMT 22:09 2017 Monday ,24 July

'Dunkirk' captures N. American box office

GMT 02:55 2017 Sunday ,30 April

EU tightens Brexit demands on residence, banks

GMT 10:46 2015 Sunday ,11 January

DWTC to welcome over 130,000 visitors

GMT 06:35 2017 Friday ,15 December

Mennat-Allah underlines importance of landscapes

GMT 15:10 2011 Monday ,20 June

American woman locks horns with \'employer\'
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday