Midas and Noe, two brother bears, are living a new life in a WSPA-built sanctuary in Hungary -- home to over 30 rescued bears. WSPA had arranged to airlift the two European brown bears our of Cyprus, where they had spent some 15 years in captivity in Limassol Zoo.

Midas and Noe pace in the confines of their zoo cage.

The journey

The bears had begun their journey in the early hours of Friday, June 17th, when they were flown from Larnaca to Budapest in a Russian cargo plane before being released into the WSPA-built sanctuary in Versegyhaz just a few hours later.

Transformation

Victor Watkins, WSPA's Libearty Director, said, "It was wonderful to see the transformation of these animals. They had been living a limited existence in old fashioned concrete-based enclosures where just a few hours before they had been repeatedly pacing around. We initially expected them to be quite fearful of their new home."

"To our surprise and delight, these two bears took to their news surroundings straight away. They loved begin in the water [the quarantine area has a splashing pool] and stayed there until nightfall, looking at the various bears that had come up to greet them -- this was the first time the two brothers had ever seen other bears."

Midas and Noe were thrilled to discover the splashing pool at their new home.

The future

Midas and Noe will remain in their quarantine enclosure for a few weeks before being integrated with the sanctuary's other residents.

This successful rescue was the result of negotiations with local authorities by WSPA and its member society, Animal Responsibility Cyprus (ARC). Limassol Zoo has agreed not to house any bears in the future.



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