The most intense year so far – Bear Again Stories – 2021 yearly review
This is how things look like on the front line of brown bear conservation in Romania. Our project has successfully rehabilitated and released into the wild around 200 orphan bears cubs so far, and this year was the most intense in our 18 years of activity. This year we managed to take into our care 31 orphan bear cubs. We believe that the increase in orphaned bear cubs is the result of a complex problem that has many factors, but is a clear indication that the quality of their natural habitat is decreasing rapidly, due to human presence and expansion, through logging, tourism, developing infrastructure and bad waste management, just to name a few. The soft winter we had this year is also an important factor. Due to higher than normal temperatures and low snow levels, human presence and activities in bear habitats continued throughout winter, this leading to a higher cub abandonment by mother bears in the denning period.
Episode 3: Easter Sunday and two orphan cubs
Leonardo and Gabriel are the two caretakers looking after the orphan bear cubs. They make sure the orphans are protected and fed. Because the project is in a remote location in the mountains every day is full of unexpected surprises and they never know what may be around the corner. Last week, we were on our way to collect a cub when we received a call from a local army base regarding another bear cub stuck in a tree with no female bear around. We took a detour from our initial mission, collected the cub and then went on to collect the second cub. Both cubs arrived safely at Bear Again and are settling in well. They both look healthy and in good condition
Episode 2: A day at Bear Again
Leonardo and Gabriel take care of the orphan bear cubs. They make sure the orphans are protected and fed. Because the project area is remote in the mountains, they never know what the next day might bring and the unexpected is always around the corner.
In February, Leonardo, the founder of Bear Again had an accident. He cut two of his fingers with a power tool and had to be rushed to the hospital for surgery. The doctors managed to save his fingers but he is still recovering.
Episode 1: A day at Bear Again
Leonardo and Gabriel take care of the orphan bear cubs. They make sure the orphans are protected and fed. Because the project area is remote in the mountains, they never know what the next day might bring and the unexpected is always around the corner.
At the beginning of February 2021 some trees fell over the electrical fences next to the den of the 11 orphan bear cubs that arrived in 2020. The cubs unfortunately woke up and the fences had to be fixed as soon as possible, since there was a risk of the cubs leaving the enclosure.
