7 November 2024 – Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS has taken in two brown bears rescued from the frontlines of the war in Ukraine’s Donetsk region at its BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr in the west of the country. The bears, a male and a female, were previously kept at a private zoo. When the zoo was struck by missiles and severely damaged recently, the situation for the animals became critical. The two bears were rescued by Wild Animal Rescue, whom FOUR PAWS has worked with before, in cooperation with their owner. They arrived safely at their temporary home. Now the experienced team of bear experts will make sure that they receive all the care they need after the traumatising events of the last weeks. FOUR PAWS is working with the European Alliance of Rescue Centres and Sanctuaries (EARS) to find a long-term home for the two bears outside of Ukraine.

Zoopark Bilyts'ke is a private zoo located only ten kilometres from the current frontline of the war in the Donetsk region. The zoo, which previously housed bears and big cats among other wild animals, faced massive destruction when it was hit by missiles. This caused suffering for the animals but put their lives at risk. The team of Wild Animal Rescue asked FOUR PAWS for urgent help to temporarily take in the bears. The female bear was transported to White Rock Shelter, a facility of Save Wild Fund near Kyiv, before moving on to BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr, while the male bear was evacuated from the zoo and directly transferred to the bear sanctuary by Wild Animal Rescue.

A species-appropriate home for rescued bears in Ukraine

At BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr, FOUR PAWS provides a species-appropriate forever home for 29 bears rescued from poor captivity. With the opening of BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr in 2017, FOUR PAWS has also been supporting the Ukrainian government with enforcing the ban on the cruel practice of bear baiting and the ban on the private keeping of bears for entertainment or leisure purposes in the country. The bear sanctuary also provides a home for individual animals rescued from other cruel forms of keeping.

Additional to its bear project, FOUR PAWS has been helping stray animals in Ukraine since 2012. Despite the war, FOUR PAWS continues its much-needed work across Ukraine to help as many stray and abandoned animals as possible. Ever since the outbreak of the war, it has been the main priority of FOUR PAWS to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its local teams while they bravely continue to care for animals in need.