Bear orphans

FOUR PAWS set up and now run a unique brown bear conservation project deep within the countryside in north-eastern Romania.

There are around 5,000 brown bears  living in the forests of Carpathia and Transylvania in Romania, but the bears’ population is threatened by poaching and habitat destruction. Poachers and land developers generally kill or remove the adult bears which leave the young cubs as orphans, unable to survive.

On many occasions if an orphaned cub is found it will be sold to a zoo, circus, to an individual for a private animal collection or trained to be a dancing bear. Therefore the majority of orphaned cubs are destined for a life in captivity.

However, now some lucky cubs are brought to FOUR PAWS Bear Orphan Centre. Here the cubs are raised with little human intervention. The cubs are released back into the wild when they have reached an age when they can look after themselves and forage for food. Already thirteen bears have been helped by this project.

To read more about how we release the bears and our success stories please look at the links to the right.

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