Bern bears Ursina and Berna are to be moved to Romania
Keystone
Ursina and Berna, two European brown bears in residence at the Bern Bear Park, will be given a new home in Romania.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The female twin cubs were born in the Bern Bear Park in December 2009. As mother bears reject their cubs when they are old enough to survive on their own, they must be found a new home.
A spokesman for the bear park said Ursina and Berna would be moved to a reserve near Zarnesti, 200 kilometres northwest of the capital Bucharest.
The 80-hectare reserve is operated by the Christina Lapis Foundation and is home to 56 bears rescued from mistreatment as circus animals or zoo attractions.
The Bern Bear Park will pay the reserve SFr20,000 ($23,600) a year to keep Ursina and Berna. It is understood the bears will move to their new home before spring.
Popular Stories
More
Culture
Wealth is not all: how gentrification in Zurich has led to housing shortage
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Bear cubs’ plight ignites debate
This content was published on
European brown bear cubs Urs and Berna are currently the star attractions at the new bear park in Bern, with crowds transfixed by their every move. So when the park’s director, Bernd Schildger, announced that they would have to be moved in 18 months time and could even be euthanised – as a last resort…
This content was published on
The births took place in December but the bear park authorities were not aware of what exactly was happening in mother Björk’s den until towards the end of January. A webcam that films the den offered little help to the bear park authorities. “The camera was really misted up and we couldn’t see much,” bear…
This content was published on
A 25-year-old man suffered non life-threatening injuries on Saturday after he was mauled by Finn, a four-year-old European brown bear. Police shot and seriously wounded the animal as they sought to save the man. Finn’s condition had improved slightly on Monday but he was still in critical condition. The bullet shattered in the bear’s body…
This content was published on
Bears have been living in the Bear Pit – a top city attraction – since 1857. But the enclosure was long criticised by animal rights activists. As of October 25, the city’s bears have more space to roam in the adjacent Bear Park. It measures over 10,000sqm.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.