Far from the Jungle Book: The real-life Baloo’s sad reality
Blog
Baloo the bear may share a name with Disney’s beloved character, but his life is nothing like the carefree jungle bear. Locked in captivity for over 25 years in Romania, Baloo’s story is a tragic reminder of the urgent need to protect wild animals.
Lina Dahl, Wildlife Campaigner at World Animal Protection Sweden, recently went to Romania to meet Baloo. What she found was not a storybook bear, but a wild animal broken by decades in captivity. Locked in a small, dirty enclosure, this Baloo shares only a name with his Disney counterpart. This is what she saw.
By Lina Dahl, Wildlife Campaigner at World Animal Protection Sweden
We all remember Baloo from Disney’s The Jungle Book: the carefree bear who sang about the “bare necessities” and danced through the jungle, living life on his own terms. The real-life version of Baloo, however, has spent over 25 years confined to a small, dirty enclosure in Romania, far from the life a bear should lead.
A tragic tourist attraction
When I arrived at Straja, a popular Romanian resort, Baloo’s cage immediately caught my eye. Around the enclosure lay empty candy wrappers, cookie packages and even a jar of honey – remnants of what visitors have been feeding him. Inside, Baloo paces endlessly in repetitive figure-eight patterns, a classic sign of stress and boredom in captive wild animals.
Baloo paused near me, pressing his nose to the bars and sticking out his tongue, perhaps asking for a treat, perhaps just for connection.
Decades of neglect
25 years ago, Baloo was found alone as a young cub in the woods. Despite a 2005 ban on private ownership of bears, he remains a local mascot. Reports tell of visitors feeding him candy, poking him with sticks and even offering alcohol. Years of poor nutrition and lack of veterinary care have taken a toll on his health.
As I left, I glanced back. Baloo had resumed his repetitive pacing, trapped in his small enclosure.
We love Baloo in the movies – but why do we allow the real-life Baloo to be robbed of a natural life? It’s time to rewrite his story.
Taking action for Baloo
We’ve filed a police report demanding a veterinary examination and prepared detailed reports from bear experts documenting Baloo’s poor living conditions. Political delays have slowed progress, but with Romania’s new Minister of the Environment now in office, we’re pushing hard to ensure Baloo’s welfare is finally addressed.
Our hope is that Baloo will soon be moved to the Libearty Bear Sanctuary, where he can finally experience a natural life, receive the care he deserves and leave behind the cage that has defined him for far too long.
We are urging the new Minister of Environment to:
- Immediately transfer Baloo to Libearty Bear Sanctuary in Zărnești, where he can receive veterinary care and live in a safe, natural environment.
- Enforce Romania's ban on private ownership of wild animals to prevent future cases like Baloo's.
- Strengthen protections for wild animals in captivity across Romania.
Relocate Baloo to Libearty bear sanctuary
Join us in urging the Minister of Environment to secure Baloo’s freedom by transferring him to Libearty Bear Sanctuary, where he could finally live with care, dignity and space to roam.
Catch up on Baloo’s story:
Update on Baloo’s health
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For over 20 years, Baloo the brown bear has been trapped in a cage at a Romanian ski resort, living in appalling conditions. We recently conducted a health check on Baloo to strengthen our lawsuit to move him to sanctuary.
Continuing our fight to free Baloo
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Baloo has been locked in a cage at a Romanian ski resort for 23-years, endlessly being tormented by tourists. We have delivered more than 178,000 signatures to the Romanian government petitioning for his release to a sanctuary, but there is still work to be done.
Help save Baloo: a bear trapped in a cage for the last 23-years
News
Baloo the bear has been locked up in a cage at a ski resort in Romania under horrific conditions for 23 years. But together with our supporters around the world, we are working to rescue Baloo from this nightmare.