Animals in the wild
Undercover diary
Big Bear Rescue investigation
An undercover WSPA investigation team went on a mission to Romania to investigate the plight of bears being held in illegal, cruel captivity. Leading the investigation was Liviu Cioineag, manager of the WSPA-funded bear sanctuary. Encountering angry bear owners, police and many bears in urgent need of help, the undercover team reveal their action-packed diary to WSPA News…
Day 1:
Arrival in Brasov We take the two hour flight to Brasov, Romania. As we fly over stunning mountain landscapes and sweeping forests, you get a real feel for the natural habitat of Romania’s wild bears – and the wide open spaces only highlight how totally cruel it is to keep these roaming creatures in the cramped confines of a cage. It makes us both sad and angry to think that not all bears get to experience this lush forest environment – and all the more determined to rescue those denied their rightful freedom.
Day 2:
Liviu Cioineag After breakfast we meet Liviu, who manages the WSPAfunded bear sanctuary for rescued bears. Like Victor Watkins, he’s clearly a determined man, whose dedication to helping bears is inspirational. With so many bears in need of rescue from cruel, illegal captivity, we waste no time in setting off on our first investigation – to visit a bear living in a ski resort, nine
hours drive away. We’ve heard various rumours about this bear – some say it has been moved, others that it has been sold, worst still that it may have been killed. We can only hope we’re not too late. It takes all day to drive to the ski resort. When we arrive, there’s just enough daylight left for us to follow a sign saying ‘Ursul Baloo’. ‘Ursul’ means ‘bear’ in Romanian. There, in a cage in front of us, we see Baloo – a beautiful, big, European brown bear. While it’s upsetting to see this bear in a cage, we are relieved that he is still alive. It’s almost dark and it seems Baloo hasn’t been fed by his owner today. We give him some of our own food and a kind local man, who feels sorry for Baloo, passes salad leaves and sunflower seeds through the bars, but it’s not nearly enough food for a bear this size. He must be so hungry. We are staying in the ski resort, so we’ll come back and assess him properly tomorrow.
Day 3:
Baloo the bear We wake up and our first thought is of Baloo. We find him pacing up and down his cage and, unsurprisingly, he seems ravenous. He’s dug down to the concrete foundations of his cage and he regularly sniffs and paws at the gap between the 10
WSPA NEWS | ISSUE 14