Baloo is a brown bear that has been locked up in a cage at a Romanian ski resort for about 25 years. He was found as a cub and taken away because he was wounded, but he never got his freedom back. Constantly on display in a small cage next to the ski lift, he is poorly cared for and is visibly traumatized. His diet consists of cereal, lemonade and sometimes alcohol. To add to his suffering, he is often poked with sticks by passersby. This is no life for a wild animal. Baloo deserves better.
Since 2005, the Romanian government has banned private individuals from keeping bears, but unfortunately this law is poorly enforced. While the highest court in the ski resort area did issue a final and irrevocable order in April 2021 for Baloo to be moved to a sanctuary, he is still living at the resort.
In December 2023 we met with the Romanian government and urged them to move Baloo. While the State Secretary acknowledged the cause, he shared that regrettably there’s no current legal basis for Baloo’s release.
After years of work behind the scenes since that meeting, we've finally achieved something remarkable— direct contact with Baloo's owner.
In early 2026, our team traveled to Romania and, through careful negotiations, secured a conversation about Baloo’s future. In that hours-long meeting at the mountain ski resort, the owner indicated something that gave us real hope: they are open to cooperation.
We need your voice now more than ever.
The most powerful thing you can do is show that people everywhere are watching, hoping and demanding better for Baloo.
Act now to keep bringing attention to Baloo’s situation and show that there is international support for his wellbeing.
Help free Baloo from a lifetime of suffering by signing the petition now!
We urgently need your support to keep bringing attention to Baloo’s situation and show that there is international support for his wellbeing.
Photo: Jasper Doest
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.
News
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.
Blog
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.