3 bear cubs born in Zarnesti Bear Sanctuary, a first in 12 years

Three bear cubs were born in the Bear Sanctuary from Zarnesti in early March. They are the first cubs born in 12 years, when the Libearty Bear Sanctuary was set up.

The cubs are perfectly healthy, with two of them being already adopted at a distance by a family in England.

“The cubs’ parents are Pamela, a 15-year-old she-bear and Pluto, a 3-year-old bear, the only one which has not been sterilized in the Zarnesti bear sanctuary. Two of the cubs, Mark and Di, have been adopted at a distance by a family from England, and we are pending for the third cub. The cubs are perfectly healthy, but they quarantined for now. The fact that the first bear cubs were born is a wonderful thing, for most of the bears in the reservation are more than 30 years old. The cubs will be most probably seen in summer when tourists will come to visit the Libearty Sanctuary,” the vice-president of the Millions of Friends association for animals’ protection in Brasov, Paula Ciotloș told Agerpres.

With these new bear cubs, the number of the bears in Zarnesti reservation climbed to 90, 37 females and 50 males. The sanctuary experts say that another two she-bears might give birth in the upcoming three months.

Unique in Romania, the bear sanctuary from Zarnesti, a small town in central Transylvania, 25 km south of Brasov, stretches on 160 acres (70 hectares) of oak and hazel forest, a land that was donated by the Municipality of Zarnesti. It was set up in 2005.

It is also the largest brown bears reservation in Eastern Europe, being home to once-captive bears from all Romanian regions, from zoos or improper shelters.

Two little bears from Armenia were also brought to Zarnesti last year, after they had been saved by the actress Brigitte Bardot foundation, which paid for their transport from Armenia to Romania.

Visitors are now able to visit the reservation by a guided railway providing a 45-minute tour through the sanctuary. Tourists can see how the bears are fed and how they live.

Further details on the Libearty Sanctuary here.