Donegal’s Wild Ireland sanctuary is appealing to Ireland’s airlines to help it rescue two abused brown bears from Russia.
The sanctuary in Burnfoot is planning to give a home to two bears that were dumped at dog kennels in Dagestan, Southern Russia.
The bears, Buu and Tiopa, are most in need of rescuing, they said. The pair have outgrown the confines of the kennels and need shelter from the elements.
But flying the huge animals across the continent presents a major challenge for Killian McLaughlin, founder of Wild Ireland. He has launched a search for an airline partner to support the huge undertaking.
Donegal’s Wild Ireland sanctuary opened in 2019 to give a home to lost species of animals once native to Ireland. The park’s most popular residents were three rescue bears, but Aurnia, a female, sadly died last year during a medical procedure. Two bears, Donnacha and Rionach, remain at Wild Ireland.
Time is running out for the two bears in Russia, says Killian.
“The sanctuary owners are doing their best to look after the bears but they simply do not have the finances or the resources to do this properly for the safety of the bears or their caregivers,” he wrote in an online appeal.
Buu lives in a small shed behind bars
The Russian dog sanctuary owners reached out to the charity Bears in Mind and in turn Killian at Wild Ireland for help.
Killian aims to raise vital funds to help improve the conditions for the bears in Russia, in the short term. This will include a roof to protect them from the elements and walls to offer shelter from the driving winds.
As soon as Covid restrictions relax, Killian and the team at Bears and Mind want to travel to Russia and bring the bears back to Ireland where they can live out the rest of their life in a natural forest home.
Tiopa’s small cage
Tiopa’s small cage with no shelter
“Brown bears, Buu and Tiopa, are most in need. These two adult male Bears have now outgrown the confines of the sanctuary’s dog kennels. The bears need shelter, from the cold of winter and the heat of summer,” the appeal said.
“Tiopa lives out in the open. The sanctuary has nowhere else to keep him. They have built a small cage to keep him safe but it is not big enough and he does not have any shelter.
“Wild Ireland is trying to raise some money to help the sanctuary build a roof over Tiopa’s cage to protect him from the snow, rain and hot sun.
“Buu is a huge bear, he has outgrown his small cage at the sanctuary. The sanctuary owners are doing their best to provide him with proper care. They need help quick.
“These two bears cannot stay at this sanctuary forever. They must move soon.”
Killian’s goal is to build Buu and Tiopa a state of the art forest habitat at Wild Ireland so that the two bears can enjoy some freedom and peace in a natural environment like he has done for his other bears which he rescued in the past.
Donations can be made at https://www.wildireland.org/russian-bear-appeal
Killian is also calling on the Wild Ireland community to reach out to airlines on social media to share the story in the hope that transport can be secured soon.
