ZARNESTI // Circus bear Mura wound up in the world’s biggest brown bear sanctuary in the heart of Romania’s Carpathian Mountains after refusing to perform any longer, following five years of unbearable abuse.
Caged, beaten and starved by their owners, 80 traumatised bears have been rescued from captivity and taken in to the “Libearty” sanctuary to recover, but the process can be slow.
Mura, for instance, instinctively begins to dance at mealtimes. “She’s still afraid she won’t be fed if she doesn’t dance,” says Libearty guide Paula Ciotlos.
After doing tricks for the Globus circus in Bucharest for five years, Mura one day obstinately refused to keep performing and was finally handed over to the sanctuary by her owner.
The 69 hectare complex was established in 2005, inspired by the plight of Maia, a self-mutilating bear who hurt herself in protest against the cruel conditions she was kept in, and who eventually died of her wounds.
The first two bears at the sanctuary were Lidia and Cristi, who for seven years were kept in the same small pen – measuring a mere five square metres – by a restaurant, whose clients amused themselves by giving the animals beer.
Their paws still bear traces of cuts from the glass bottles.
All of the bears in the sanctuary have a “sad but educational” story, says Ms Ciotlos.
By opening its doors to tourists for three hours every day, the sanctuary hopes that people will gain a new perspective on animals in captivity.
British tourist John Hancock is one of the converted. He says he “no longer wants” to see animals at the zoo after seeing some of the effects of captivity first hand.
“This is the ideal environment for the bears,” says Mr Hancock. “They enjoy everything they need here.”
The land was donated by the city of Zarnesti, and has ample forest and ponds for the bears, who are fed once a day by staff.
They can never re-enter the wild because they’ve lost many of their instincts and “would never be able to survive alone in the forest, fight for a female, or for food”, says Ms Ciotlos.
So far, two million euros (Dh8m) have been invested in the sanctuary, which welcomed more than 20,000 tourists in 2014 – about 60 per cent of them foreigners.
Brown bears are common in Romania, which is home to around 6,000 of the animals. In mountainous areas, female bears and their cubs often wander into villages to scavenge for food in trash bins.
In another groundbreaking project, cubs separated from their mothers due to accident or human action are being lodged in a “nursery” in the Hasmas mountains, about 200 kilometres north of Zarnesti.
“A cub is very fragile and vulnerable until the age of two or three,” says the project’s founder and animal lover Leonardo Bereczky.
He says the animals are protected but also encouraged to fend for themselves, especially to forage for food.
“It is very important that the cubs grow up far from human beings” before resuming a life in the wild, he says, adding that so far about 100 cubs have been successfully released.
Mr Bereczky says that the main threats for the bears is the growing infiltration of man into their habitat, and deforestation.
Meanwhile, Ms Ciotlos says that some people also want to turn the animals into pets.
Between 1990 and 2000 a lot of restaurants in the Carpathian region displayed caged bears to attract tourists, she says, but those establishments are becoming more rare because Romania has passed more restrictive laws in hopes of curbing abuse.
“Now there are no more than a dozen bears waiting to be rescued in Romania,” she adds.
* Agence France-Presse
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
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Need to know
The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours.
The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.
When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend are January-February and September-October. Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.
Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution