Continuing our fight to free Baloo
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.
Baloo's situation is dire.
"Baloo is a powerful, beautiful animal, reduced to nothing more than an entertainment object in terrible circumstances.” - Sanne Kuijpers, Wild Animals Campaign Manager, Netherlands
But together with your support, we have been working hard to free Baloo from this nightmare.
In December 2023, we gathered at the Romanian Ministry of Environment to handover more than 178,000 signatures, from animal advocates around the world including thousands of our Canadian supporters petitioning to free him from this misery and relocate him to Libearty Bear Sanctuary.
Together with Floortje Dessing, a Dutch TV presenter, World Animal Protection hands over the signatures to free Baloo to the Romanian State Secretary for Biodiversity.
Our scheduled 15-minute visit with the Ministry turned into 45-minutes. We shared a video of Baloo’s current situation and what the future could look like with footage from Libearty Sanctuary. It showed the sanctuary’s 69-hectare oak forest where he’ll be able to interact with other bears and engage in his natural behaviours, instead of being alone in a small cage, pacing back and forth with nothing to do.
The State Secretary of Biodiversity, Dan Stefan Chiru, was impressed by the global support for our campaign. While he acknowledged the cause, he shared that there’s no current legal basis for Baloo’s release – despite Romania’s 2005 ban on private individuals keeping bears.
But there’s hope!
We were invited to collaborate on building a solid legal case to rescue Baloo and move him to the sanctuary.
We are determined to continue our fight to free Baloo, but we need your support.
Your generous gift today will help us to build and strengthen a legal case for Baloo’s release.
You could also help to fund Baloo’s new life at the Libearty Sanctuary. After a lifetime of misery, your kindness could offer Baloo the nutritious food, care and medicine he needs to rebuild his strength and make the most of his final years.
Photo ©Jasper Doest
"With all the unrest in the world, the release of one bear may seem insignificant, but Baloo symbolizes much more. For me, Baloo is the embodiment of the carelessness with which we treat animals. The bear sits there uselessly, abandoned in a cage, because someone wants to own him. I find it heart-warming that so many people worldwide say: 'this is not allowed'. After this clear statement, the Romanian government can no longer ignore us and it is time for action.” - Floortje Dessing, Dutch television host.
Thank you to all animal lovers who signed our petition to free Baloo and all animal protection organizations helping to end Baloo’s suffering.
If you haven’t already, please sign our petition to help build a case and take legal action to have Baloo moved to Libearty Bear Sanctuary.
Banner image: ©Jasper Doest
