Romanian bear sanctuary takes in thirteen more orphan cubs, which it will later release into the wild

After 10 bear cubs lived through the winter, other 13 orphan cubs aged 3-4 months have been recently brought to the Center for the Rehabilitation of Orphan Bear Cubs, founded by Leonardo Bereczky in Hasmas mountains, which has so far saved 60 such specimens.

The cubs in the rehabilitation center have at their disposal a series of enclosures that span on 20 hectares in the heart of the forest, and human contact is cut to a minimum. A bear cub spends about two years in the “orphanage.”

The main cause for which bear cubs in Romania become orphans is deforestation, which severely affects lairs.

Often, female bears, scared by the sound of the chainsaws, fail to carry their young into hiding, so they are forced to abandon them.

The second cause is the hunt, which many female bears fall prey to, according to a WWF press release.

The end of summer, when forest fruit, which is the bears’ favorite food, is plentiful, will be the perfect timing for ten of the older residents to be released in the wild, according to the press release.

The Center for the Rehabilitation of Bear Cubs, which is supported by Ursus, is the only such center in Romania that offers a chance for survival for orphan bear cubs.

WWF Romania (World Wide Fund for Nature) and Ursus Breweries started in 2013 a three-year partnership. The first goal is the conservation of the bear population and habitat, and the second is to raise awareness about the importance of Romania’s brown bear and forests. According to WWF, Romania has the largest bear population in Europe.

Data from Romsilva showed that in 2012 there were 6,000 bears in Romania, but, due to the habitat destruction, the optimum number should be 4,000. The bears are often forced to look for food close to human establishments, which sometimes leads to casualties.
Otilia Haraga