Paddington, now one of the youngest residents at the sanctuary, is enjoying his new-found freedom – playing with other bears and staying away from the city streets.
Earlier this year, we were notified of a young bear cub roaming the streets of Sibiu in Romania. Locals alerted authorities of the cub, because they thought he posed a threat to the populated area of the large city in Transylvania, Central Romania. He was found jumping fences and hiding in the streets.
At only a year and two months old, he normally would still be under the care of his mother, but Paddington was alone to defend himself. Sadly, we do not know what happened to Paddington’s mother. When Asociatia Milioane de Prieteni’s (AMP), our partner organization’s rescue team arrived to take him to safety, they noticed his glossy fur – indicating to them that Paddington may have been domesticated, which explained his familiarity with people. It is assumed that he most likely escaped from the yard of a poacher, or he was purposely released when he grew too large to keep.
Our partners quickly loaded Paddington into the transportation cage, where he seemed excited to discover apples hidden in the straw bedding. After arriving at the sanctuary, he received a full veterinary check-up, was neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped, and released into our peaceful sanctuary.
Paddington, now one of the youngest residents at the sanctuary, is enjoying his new-found freedom – playing with other bears and staying away from the city streets.
Learn more about our work to protect bears.
Image: Paddington enjoying eating apples in the transportation cage on his way to the World Animal Protection funded Romania sanctuary.
