After weeks of negotiations with the Ministry of Environment in Kosovo, we succeeded in rescuing the orphaned bear cub and brought him to our sanctuary, BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina. The bear was only a few months old when he was found back February 2019 by a member of the public as he wandered the streets. Although the authorities promised to bring him back to his mother, FOUR PAWS discovered the male bear was being kept in a filthy basement of a restaurant in Sharr National Park. The little bear was kept in a small wooden box, barely seeing daylight, with no room to move around.  We immediately contacted the authorities and urged them to take the bear out of such inappropriate conditions and allow us to take him. After weeks of back and forth, the negotiations finally led to a common understanding in early June 2019.

Now safe in the FOUR PAWS-owned BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina, the young bear finds shelter and a species-appropriate home.

In a Facebook poll, we searched for a name for the little bear and the community has now decided: Andri (the brave) shall be his name from now on. The six-month-old cub is settling in well at our BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina. He is very active and is healthy gaining body weight. He also makes sure to spend a lot of time playing, and especially forging out the fresh branches and spices that the team gave him to play with.

For Andri's first birthday, our team in BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina prepared very special enrichment and activities for him. The young and playful bear was particularly pleased with his delicious "snow cake".

Andri received some special treats from his caretakers for his 2nd birthday! He loved exploring them and eating some of his favourites snacks! Andri is in a good overall health condition and is one of the most active of the bears at BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina. The young bear didn't go into hibernation over the winter, but we hope that by the next winter he will do so.

As the other bears around his enclosure went into their hibernation a few months ago, we believe Andri missed the company of his co-species. In the spring, when the other bears wake from their rest, the team at Prishtina will consider if he is ready to me socialised with another bear at the sanctuary. Stay tuned for his progress!

Bears Andri and Lena are successfully socialised at our BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina! After long observations from the on-site team of the two bears, when the bears were living in neighbouring enclosures, the decision was made to socialise them. Andri and Lena suffered a horrible life while living in captivity. Lena lived for years in a tiny cage next to a restaurant near Prishtina, Kosovo. Andri was found on the side of the road as a little cub and then kept in the filthy basement of a restaurant. It was a big day for our new lovebirds. From the moment they met, they had an amazing start. They were very friendly to each other, by sniffing one another`s face, and after a few seconds they started rolling on the grass. The team of caretakers were over the moon while witnessing these happy moments. The two bears have finally found a companion and are already even swimming together!