Latest news with #brownbears
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Rescued twin brown bear cubs find forever home in Devon
Two brown bear cubs thought to be war refugees have travelled hundreds of miles across borders to reach a forever home in a Devon two-year-old siblings, Malenky and Nanuq, are in Wildwood, where director of zoo operations Mark Habben said they were "thrilled" to welcome the duo who would be offered a "safe, enriched environment to thrive". They were born in Belgium after their mother was rescued from the front line in Ukraine, but were believed to have been conceived in Ukraine, staff said. Wildwood has now rescued and rehabilitated eight brown bears from hardship, but said it relied on public support, as caring for each rescued bear cost about £70,000 a year. The cubs arrived at their new home in Ottery St Mary on Tuesday after a long journey from De Zonnegloed Wild Animal Sanctuary. The pair's arrival was described a "heartwarming milestone" in their journey of survival, after their mother had been smuggled out in the back of a van to escape shelling in Habben said his colleagues in Belgium did an "incredible job" caring for Malenky and Nanuq, but, due to a lack of space and resources, were not able to provide a future the cubs deserved."We're thrilled to welcome them to Wildwood, where we can provide them with a safe, enriched environment to thrive under the watch of our expert keepers," he added staff would help the pair settle in the coming weeks. 'Rescue work matters' Malenky and Nanuq are sharing their new home with another rescued sibling duo, brown bears Mish and Lucy, who were rescued from Albania in Whitfield, director general of the Wildwood Trust, said they relied on the public's support to help more bears like Malenky and said: "Every rescued bear needs food, shelter, medical care, and enrichment. We spend around £70,000 a year caring for each rescued bear, which is why fundraising is essential to everything we do."All the bears at Wildwood have come from unimaginable hardship. Malenky and Nanuq represent not just survival, but the growing threat to wildlife around the world. "Their story reminds us why rescue work matters - and why we must act."He added that staff were "incredibly excited" for visitors to meet the newest members of the Wildwood family.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Slovakia approves sale of brown bear meat to public
The meat of brown bears, a protected species in the EU, could soon be available to eat in Slovakia after the government approved plans for month, the cabinet authorised a plan to shoot about a quarter of the country's 1,300 brown bears in response to some recent fatal state-authorised slaughter has been criticised by conservationists and opposition politicians, including in the European Parliament. The brown bear is listed as a "near threatenend" species in the EU by the World Conservation Slovakia's populist-nationalist government is forging ahead with the plan, this week announcing that meat from culled bears would be sold to the public. From next week, organisations under the ministry can offer the meat for sale, provided all legal and hygiene conditions are met. State Minister Filip Kuffa said it was wasteful that the animals had previously been sent to carcass disposal facilities."We will release every shot animal that meets certain conditions for consumption. Why? Because bear meat is edible," he have become a political issue in Slovakia after a rising number of encounters, including fatal ranks second in Europe, behind Romania which is estimated to have about 13,000 brown bears, for the number of bear attacks in recent country reported a total of 54 bear attacks from 2000-2020. But the average number of attacks had gone up to 10 per year, rough figures April, a man was mauled to death while walking in a forest in Central after, Prime Minister Robert Fico announced the culling plan, saying: "We can't live in a country where people are afraid to go into the woods."He said his government would shoot up to 350 brown bears - a figure equivalent to the species' entire population in government argues that a bear overpopulation problem has led to the environmental groups and critics say the focus should be on prevention. Michal Wiezik, an ecologist and MEP for the opposition party Progressive Slovakia, told the BBC last month the government's plan was "absurd" and it had already failed to limit the number of bear attacks "by the unprecedented culling of this protected species."Wiezik argued that thousands of encounters a year passed without incident and he hoped the European Commission would Abelova of Greenpeace Slovakia called the culling plan "completely reckless," accusing the government of ignoring conservation laws and scientific advice. Brown bears are strictly protected under EU directives, and may only be killed in exceptional cases - such as threats to public safety - when no other alternatives meat is not commonly eaten in Europe and is considered a delicacy only in a few regions, such as parts of Eastern Europe and the Nordic countries. In most EU member states, strict hunting rules and the protected status of the bears mean the meat is rarely available. When it is, it is usually from controlled culls or licensed hunting and not commonly found in restaurants or bear meat is consumed, health officials warn of the risk of Trichinella - a parasite that can cause serious illness in humans. The European Union Food Safety regulation requires all bear meat to be tested for Trichinella larvae before it can be sold and the US' Centre for Disease Control Prevention stipulates an internally cooked temperature of at least 70 degrees centigrade to kill the parasite. Freezing, smoking or drying the meat does not make it safe.
