OUR IMPACT SO FAR…
OUR IMPACT SO FAR…
Helping orphaned cubs live wild again
We rescue orphaned bear cubs, rehabilitate them with minimal human contact, and prepare them for life back in the wild. When they’re ready, they return to the wild where they belong.
Why this centre matters
This is the only place in Europe where orphaned cubs are given a real chance to live wild. Without intervention, most would end up in illegal enclosures, zoos, or lifelong captivity. Our approach protects the behaviours they need to forage, den and survive independently.
With your support, more orphaned cubs can grow up wild – free to roam, forage and raise young of their own.
WHERE WE ARE
Our project area is in the heart of the Hășmaș Mountains near the Olt Springs. The closest towns are Gheorgheni and Bălan, both about 15 km away. The landscape’s isolation makes it ideal for safe rehabilitation and release.
WHAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE
Bear cub survival behaviours are instinctive – foraging, denning, avoiding people. Our job is to protect those instincts: minimal human contact, naturalistic environments and seasonal rhythms. When we don’t imprint on cubs, rehabilitation and re-wilding become possible.
A PROJECT WITH HISTORY
For 20+ years we’ve refined this hands-off approach. The result speaks for itself: over 310 cubs have already returned to the wild, with veterinary support provided free of charge by our partner Vets4Wild.
Latest stories
Check out all our latest stories and news on our Instagram account.
🤍The New Year has just started, and we are happy to share some wonderful news:
Bear Again has once again received financial support from Welttierschutzgesellschaft - WTG e.V., the German animal welfare organization, which will cover approximately one quarter of our expenses this year.
WTG has been supporting our work for four years now, contributing greatly to the development of our project — from improving our electrical system and installing remote cameras in the rehabilitation facilities, to providing an e-bike for daily mobility and GPS collars.
This year, their support continues with an even more substantial contribution, helping us to work smoothly and effectively for the benefit of a new generation of orphaned bear cubs on their way back to freedom.
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to WTG and the dedicated German team who make the work of Bear Again possible.
Thank you for standing by us — and also on behalf of the bear cubs, who, thanks to your kindness, are given a real chance to return to the wild
The last day of the year has arrived, and to welcome it, nature has dressed itself in white, like in a winter fairy tale ❄️
👉The little bears are still full of life, although the calm of winter sleep is slowly drawing near. Some still lick their paws, as if wishing to bring to life the old saying that the bear licks its own paws to endure hunger until spring, while others tumble and wrestle in the fresh snow, with the boundless joy of children set free to play in the heart of winter.🐻🐾
This year, Bear Again welcomed 20 bear cubs, all of whom have grown beautifully and steadily, preparing step by step for their journey back to freedom. If all goes as planned, the coming summer will see them return to where they truly belong — the wild.😁
🙏All of this is possible thanks to you — those who actively support this project and stand by us year after year. As the year draws to end, we wish to thank you from the bottom of our hearts, also on behalf of our little rascals, for your trust and generosity. May the year ahead bring peace, light, and joy into your homes and hearts.💚
We would also like to extend our gratitude to the organizations that financially support the Bear Orphanage and, through their ongoing campaigns, ensure the smooth continuation of this project year after year.🙏
🤍Our heartfelt thanks go toWWF Romania, Humane World for Animals, Welttierschutzgesellschaft - WTG e.V. (Germany), and @spaceforthewild (UK), as well as to all private supporters whose donations help these bear cubs live the free life they deserve.
#BearAgain #BearOrphanage #WildlifeConservation #SaveTheBears #AnimalRescue #WildlifeProtection #BearCubLove #NatureLovers #WinterWonderland #AnimalWelfare #WildlifeRehabilitation #FreedomForBears #SupportWildlife #EndangeredSpecies #NatureConservation #BearsInTheWild #AnimalCare #LoveForAnimals #WildlifeAwareness #BackToTheWild
Global warming or not, it is certain that winter has arrived late in recent years🧐
Even this season, until Christmas temperatures did not drop drastically, and the forest did not dress itself in white.
👉Nevertheless, the little bears are preparing for their long sleep, even if they did not learn this from their mother. Preparing the den for winter is an innate instinct triggered by several factors, the most important being the decrease in daylight hours synchronized with the drop in ambient temperature. Their fur is very dense, and they have accumulated a layer of fat that will provide them with energy over the course of several months. 🐻❄️
They dig several dens, from which they will choose one. Sometimes the work begins with a single individual, with the rest of the group joining later. After reaching sufficient depth, the den is lined with fir branches and dry grass. Everything begins as a game, but inner instincts carve their way toward outward manifestation, and the result is always a hidden, well-arranged nest. 🌿🕳️
Winter sleep, or in other words ursid hibernation, is a unique phenomenon in the animal world. It ensures survival under marginal living conditions, making the bear a master of adaptation in a solitary way of life—a level of adaptation that even humans manage to achieve only in groups, through close cooperation with their fellow beings. 🤝🌍
#Nature #Wildlife #Bears #BearLife #WinterIsComing #Hibernation #WinterSleep #ForestLife #WildNature #AnimalInstincts #NaturePhotography #NatureLovers #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #Adaptation #Survival #WildAnimals #IntoTheWild #ForestVibes #RespectNature 🐻❄️🌲
Today we documented the first case of a bear released from Bear-Again showing unwanted behavior
👉Equipped with a GPS collar, the bear left the rehabilitation area in August and spent almost two months in the Giurgeu Mountains, then moved north, stopping in the Bicaz Canyon area.
Unfortunately, there it was attracted by food waste thrown into garbage bins near restaurants in the Lacu Roșu area. For about a week, it frequently returned to this easy food source, and the authorities decided to capture and relocate it to another wild area.
This event happened exactly outside the period when the GPS collar was scheduled to transmit data (every two weeks), so we learned about it too late.
We will continue monitoring, and if this behavior persists, we will take action to transfer the bear to a sanctuary.
We thank the local authorities of Gheorgheni for their professionalism and prompt response!
#BearConservation #WildlifeMonitoring #BearRelease #BearRehabilitation #HumanWildlifeConflict #WildlifeProtection #GPSCollar #BearAgainProject #NatureConservation #GiurgeuMountains #BicazCanyon #LacuRosu #WildlifeRescue #BearRelocation #EnvironmentalAwareness #ProtectWildlife #CoexistWithNature #SaveTheBears #BearSanctuary #ThankYouAuthorities #Urs #UrsReabilitat #Medvementés
🐻The seven youngsters from last year have just stepped into a new chapter of their lives!🆓
👉The final rehabilitation enclosure has been opened, and the cubs – who have grown remarkably both physically and behaviorally – took their very first steps towards true freedom.🌿
One of them is wearing a GPS monitoring collar, allowing us to follow its journey in the wild for another year. Stay tuned to see which path it will take! 🐾
🙏Many thanks to Welttierschutzgesellschaft - WTG e.V. Germany for their generous support, which made the GPS collar possible!
#BearRehabilitation #WildlifeFreedom #BackToTheWild #WildlifeRescue #AnimalRehabilitation #BearRelease #GPSCollarTracking #WildlifeMonitoring #NatureConservation #SaveWildlife #Rewilding #BearsOfInstagram #BearTracking #WildlifeJourney #ConservationSuccess #ThankYouWTG
🐻The big gang has moved into the second rehabilitation enclosure🌿
👉a more complex setting that allows them to develop the behaviors and traits they were born with. Their progress is spectacular, and by this time next year they will probably already be free.
🙏We thank all our supporters for their help! Without your support, this project would not be possible.
Alongside many private supporters and companies who help us, there are also four non-governmental organizations that make this project possible:
WWF Romania, Humane World For Animals Romania, Welttierschutzgesellschaft - WTG e.V. Germany, and @spaceforthewild from the UK.
#WildlifeRehabilitation #BearRescue #BackToTheWild #WWFRomania #HumanWorldForAnimals #WTGGermany #SpaceForTheWild #WildlifeSupport #AnimalConservation #Rewilding #SaveTheWild #NatureConservation #ProtectWildlife #BornToBeWild #BearFreedom #NatureRecovery #ThanksToOurSupporters
🐻The first stage of the rehabilitation process has been completed☑️
👉After spending a few months in the initial enclosure — a smaller space designed to encourage social interaction and the formation of a "family group" — the bear cubs have now moved into the second facility, which offers a much larger and more complex environment. 🌿
🤓In this way, their habitat gradually expands, in accordance with their ecological needs, until the final stage of rehabilitation, when they begin exploring the surrounding areas on their own.
As you can see in the images, some cubs are bolder and more eager to discover new places and opportunities that arise with the opening of the gate between enclosures. Just like in humans, some individuals display a more exploratory spirit or a heightened sense of curiosity, while others appear more reserved or cautious. These core personality traits shape their behavioral patterns, influencing not only how they will later use their habitat, but also their chances of survival in the wild.🆓
#WildlifeRehabilitation #spaceforthewild #BearCubs #AnimalRescue #BackToNature #ConservationJourney #Rewilding #WildlifeConservation #AnimalBehavior #NatureHealing #BearSanctuary #EcoRehabilitation #WildlifeRecovery #SaveTheWild #NatureExplorers #CuriousCubs
🐻We often hear the claim: “Bears come into urban areas because they have nothing left to eat.”🥴
👉At Bear Again, we have the unique opportunity to closely observe bear behavior and their food preferences throughout the year.
🍀Right now, in mid-summer, fresh grass plays a key role in their diet — especially the kind that grows back after mowing in mountain meadows. This young greenery naturally attracts bears, who rely heavily on such plants throughout the summer months.
But grass is abundant almost everywhere. So the bears` presence near human settlements cannot be explained simply by a lack of food. In fact, the bear`s incredible ecological flexibility — its ability to shift quickly from one food source to another — clearly shows that food shortage is not the root cause.
🧐What we’re witnessing is part of a slow, long-term process: a complex adaptation to changes in their natural habitat.
#Bears #UrbanBears #WildlifeBehavior #BearDiet #NatureAdaptation #SummerDiet #EcologicalPlasticity #BearMigration #WildlifeConservation #BearAgain
“When I first heard about Bear Again and the work Leo and Naomi were doing, I was blown away. This isn’t just a rescue centre – it’s the only facility of its kind in Europe dedicated to rehabilitating and rewilding orphaned bear cubs. These are bears that would otherwise have no chance of survival in the wild, and yet thanks to Bear Again, over 300 of them have been given that second chance.”
“When I first heard about Bear Again and the work Leo and Naomi were doing, I was blown away. This isn’t just a rescue centre – it’s the only facility of its kind in Europe dedicated to rehabilitating and rewilding orphaned bear cubs. These are bears that would otherwise have no chance of survival in the wild, and yet thanks to Bear Again, over 300 of them have been given that second chance.”
Jimmy Doherty
Space for the Wild
