Log in
A+ A A-

Arcturos rescues bear cub from Albania

Arcturos environmental organisation in northern Greece spotted an advertisement on the internet for the sale of a young brown bear in Albania for 1,100 euros. The animal was confiscated and is now in the Arcturos sanctuary.

The story of Ray, as the bear was named, was revealed on May 27 when members of the organisation "Animal Rescue Albania" saw the advertisement on the internet. The advertisement remained online for five days without response.

The Albanian organisation informed the prosecutor and the next day the animal was confiscated from its illegal owner. Despite his claims that he had found the little bear wandering alone, the people of Animal Rescue Albania believe, according to Arcturos, that he had killed the bear's mother and afterwards took the cub with intention to sell it. When found, Ray was malnourished, had only a few teeth and weighed 5 kilos.

The little bear was temporarily housed at the Tirana Zoo, and after the completion of the bureaucratic procedures and the relevant request that lasted several months, the cub was transferred to Arcturos veterinary station, where he will live in a fenced area until the age of three. Afterwards the bear will be transferred to the organsation's shelter in Nymfeo, Florina as its reintegration into the natural environment is no longer possible.

Ray is the fourth bear that Arcturos has rescued from Albania in recent years.