British sanctuary's bid to save 2 bears trapped in tiny cage outside restaurant

02 May 2024 , 20:39

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British sanctuary's bid to save 2 bears trapped in tiny cage outside restaurant

A British animal sanctuary has taken steps to save two brown bears trapped in cage outside a European restaurant.

The animals are seen "imprisoned" in a small barred holding next to a restaurant in Azerbaijan. Wildheart Bosses of Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, on the Isle of Wight, want to save the two European brown bears and give them their very own 3,500 square metre habitat. The sanctuary's owners say the animals have spent their lives imprisoned in a cage attached to the side of a restaurant as attractions for gawking tourists, living off scraps of food and whatever else customers threw their way.

Called Benji and Balu, the bears were found malnourished, starving and underweight, with severe damage to their teeth from stress-induced bar-biting. They are currently languishing in the tiny metal cage with no area to hibernate, no water for bathing and no soil under their feet.

The pair of bears are currently languishing at the side of a restaurant in Azerbaijan (FOUR PAWS/WAS/Solent)

Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, in Sandown on the Isle of Wight, is now fundraising for £150,000 to build a new 3,500 square metre home for the bears. The habitat will be complete with pools, streams, caves, boulders, platforms, woodland, and allow them to feel grass for the first time. Head of fundraising at the sanctuary, Christine Harty, said: "We know this is going to be a monumental undertaking. However, we believe that with the help of our amazing community on the Isle of Wight and across the UK, we can smash our fundraising goal and ensure Benji and Balu get the second chance in life they deserve.

The animals have spent their lives imprisoned in a cage and are peered at by tourists (FOUR PAWS/WAS/Solent)

Lawrence Bate, chief operating officer, added: "This will be an iconic moment in the sanctuary's history. The first bears to the Island in over 30 years, and one of the most urgent and ambitious rescues we have ever undertaken. Bears are such characterful and intelligent animals, and as such, their suffering seems all the more poignant." The European brown bear comes from the same subspecies of bear as the grizzly bear. But the term 'grizzly bear' is used to describe bears in North America.

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The Mirror recently reported how a Brit performed life-saving dental surgery on a bear - after it was unable to eat properly due to its broken teeth and decaying gums. Misha, a 25-year-old a brown bear, was rescued in 2023 by UK NGO International Animal Rescue (IAR) and its partners FPWC in Armenia. The 900lb bear was found wandering on the outskirts of an Armenian village and had likely escaped from captivity, experts said.

Wildheart Animal Sanctuary on the Isle of Wight, is now raising £150,000 to build a 3,500 square metre home for the bears (FOUR PAWS/WAS/Solent)

A British medical team who assessed Misha found his teeth were broken and decaying and his gums were infected and swollen from years spent gnawing on the bars of a cage. Problems with his teeth meant the bear was in a lot of pain and struggling to eat and he was described by the vet as "severely malnourished".

A volunteer anaesthetist darted the bear while experts performed a gruelling five-hour operation - involving the extraction of seven teeth and root canal surgery on three. The procedure was deemed a complete success and Misha is now recovering in a recovery pen - and has been eating lots of fruit.

Graeme Murray