21 September 2022 – On 20 September, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS has transferred brown bear Iva from North Macedonia to its BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa, which it runs together with Fondation Brigitte Bardot in Bulgaria.

After her former owner handed Iva into the care of FOUR PAWS, they brought her to a temporary location in Skopje in August. This was urgent as the condition of her enclosure was unsafe and proving a high breakout risk.

After spending all her life in an enclosure inadequate for a bear’s needs, Iva has arrived safely at her new species-appropriate home. She will now receive all the care she needs to live a bear-worthy life. Iva might even reunite with an old friend from the past – bear Teddy, who also lives at the Bulgarian sanctuary.

Although Iva is only six years old, her story is a tragic one: As a young bear, she was found alone and handed over to a private owner in Skopje who had kept her in his backyard since.

There are no suitable places in North Macedonia where she could live in species-appropriate conditions and among other bears, therefore FOUR PAWS brought her to Bulgaria after her former owner gave her up voluntarily. Since she grew up in captivity, Iva cannot be rehabilitated and released back into the wild. A first health check showed her overall condition is good.

“Iva is now in a safe place at BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa, where she belongs. Her rescue and transfer went smoothly and according to plan, for which we wish to thank the Bulgarian, Greek and Macedonian authorities for their cooperation,” says Dimitar Ivanov, Site Manager of BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa, who accompanied Iva’s transfer from Skopje to Belitsa via Greece.

Iva shares past with bear Teddy, who was also rescued by FOUR PAWS

Iva’s transfer to BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa will likely also bring about a reunion of former companions. Until autumn 2017, Iva was kept in the same estate together with another bear, Teddy, but he was later handed over to Shtip Zoo and Iva was left all alone. FOUR PAWS rescued Teddy from Shtip Zoo in November 2020 and he has been living at BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa ever since.

As Iva needs to get adjusted to her new home and winter approaches, where many bears hibernate, it will not immediately be possible to socialise her with her potential future companions, Teddy and Riku. The team at BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa will monitor Iva’s development closely and is planning the exciting reunion with Teddy for spring next year.

BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa: A home for rescued bears in Southeast Europe

BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa, which was formerly called DANCING BEARS PARK Belitsa, is located in the Rila Mountains in Western Bulgaria and run by FOUR PAWS in cooperation with Fondation Brigitte Bardot since 2000. Most of the 19 brown bears that currently live on 12 hectares of nature-like surroundings were former dancing bears from Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania. The sanctuary also provides a species-appropriate home for bears rescued from other forms of inappropriate keeping. Visitors receive comprehensive information about the sad conditions in which the bears suffered before they were rescued, as well as about the main natural requirements of brown bear species and their conservation.

By rescuing Iva, FOUR PAWS not only aims to significantly improve this individual bear's life, but also to continue its efforts to end the cruel illegal captivity of brown bears in North Macedonia as part of the #saddestbears Southeast Europe initiative. For more information see also here.