Bern’s bear cubs under threat

Bern’s zoo is already looking for a new home for the two cubs in the city’s bear park, who are currently its star attraction.

Sunday’s German-language tabloid Blick am Sonntag carried an alarming headline, quoting the zoo director, Bernd Schildger: “We shall have to put them down”.

He explained to the paper that in about 18 months time, when they are around two years old, their mother will not want them any more.

He said he would be writing to zoos and animal parks all over the world and make every effort to find suitable homes for the two, Berna and Urs. But he warned that it would not be easy.

The paper quoted an animal defence expert as saying that zoos are full of brown bears, and it is practically impossible to find a home for them. He accused zoos of “abusing animals, in order to attract visitors”.

But Schildger told the Swiss news agency that the situation for placing bears could change quickly. Although he could not rule out that the cubs might have to be put down, he said that was the last on a list of 28 alternatives.

He rejected accusations that the park’s two adult bears, Björk and Finn, had been allowed to mate simply for commercial reasons.

“It’s important for the quality of life of the old bears that they should be allowed to have young,” he told Blick.

Blick said more than a million people had visited the bear park since it opened last October. Although there is no entrance fee, the money raised from the sale of souvenirs is welcome, given that the cost of construction of the park ended up way over budget.

swissinfo.ch and agencies