The relocation of two bears from Ukraine to the Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center has been successful: the transporter carrying Myhasyk and Lyubochka (known as Luba) arrived this morning at the German Animal Welfare Federation's center in Kappeln an der Schlei in Schleswig-Holstein. The brown bear couple can now recover in the stables after their two-day journey. In a few days, they will probably be allowed outside for the first time into the acclimatization area of the bear enclosure.
“We are incredibly relieved and happy that everything went well and that the bears arrived safely,” said Patrick Boncourt, bear specialist at the Weidefeld Animal Welfare Center of the German Animal Welfare Federation. "Traveling through a country affected by war always involves incalculable risks. We are very grateful to our partners in Ukraine and our Dutch transport company for their courageous efforts – as well as to the German veterinary authorities, who supported us with the extensive paperwork. The bureaucratic challenges in particular kept us on tenterhooks until the very end, and the successful border crossing was a close call. We are all the more delighted that Myhasyk and Luba have now arrived at their new home!"
BEARS COME FROM POOR CONDITIONS
Myhasyk is a former photo bear, Luba a former circus bear. The bears lived for years in tiny cages, which took a toll on them physically and mentally. Both bears require ongoing medical care, which the animal welfare center in Weidefeld is better equipped to provide than the Ukrainian partner facility near Kyiv, where the wild animals last lived and were cared for. In 2022, the German Animal Welfare Association had already taken in the collared bear Malvina from the White Rock Bear Shelter, which is run by the animal welfare organization Save Wild. With the addition of two more animals, there is now room again for short-term confiscations in the country. The bear relocation had been in preparation since November last year and began on Wednesday morning.
BEAR PROJECT LIVES ON THROUGH SUPPORT
The German Animal Welfare Federation has been operating the natural, spacious bear enclosure on the grounds of its animal welfare center since 2019. It covers around two hectares with swimming lakes, caves for hibernation, and dense vegetation for retreating and hiding. With Myhasyk and Luba, a total of four brown bears and three Asiatic black bears now live here, all of which also come from poor conditions. A reunion with the other brown bears will be considered next spring after the animals' hibernation. For the bear project, the animal welfare activists rely on the support of animal lovers who donate to the animal welfare center or sponsor the bears. Anyone interested can find more information at www.tierschutzbund.de/patentiere-baeren.
