World's loneliest bear who spent her entire life in a cage and was forced to perform for a circus will finally get to meet other bears after being rescued and taken to Swiss reserve
- Circus bear Jambolina, 11, was rescued from a tiny cage in a garage in Ukraine last Tuesday
- She was taken on a four-day 1,500-mile journey to the Arosa Bear Land reserve in Switzerland
- Jambolina's teeth are in bad condition and her claws need further examination by her caretakers
- After observation she will be introduced to the other bears Amelia and Meimo at the Swiss centre The world's loneliest bear who spent her entire life in a cage and was forced to perform for a circus will finally get to meet other bears after being rescued.
Jambolina, 11, was rescued by animal rights organisation Four Paws after being kept in a tiny cage in a garage in Ukraine while not performing at the circus for 11 years, according to the charity.
She was collected her from her home last Tuesday and taken on a four-day, 1,500-mile (2,400km) journey to the Arosa Bear Land reserve in Switzerland.
Although Four Paws has a rescue centre in Ukraine, it currently has 22 bears which is the maximum capacity, so the charity contacted the Swiss reserve for help.
The world's loneliest bear Jambolina (pictured in her garage cage in Ukraine) who was forced to perform for a circus will finally get to meet other bears after being rescued
The 11-year-old bear was taken the Arosa Bear Land reserve in Switzerland on a four-day 1,500-mile (2,400km) journey and is now being treated by caretakersShe had been used as a circus bear since she was bought by her owner just weeks after her birth in in January 2009 at Yalta Zoo in Crimea.
Public performances were cancelled from March this year because of the coronavirus lockdown, meaning her owners could no longer afford to keep her.
He told Four Paws he was forced to keep her in the small crate just a few feet wide since the start of the pandemic, in which she could hardly move at all and suffered from lack of exercise and boredom, and asked the charity to give her a 'a good life'.
Katharina Braun from Four Paws International said: 'She was kept alone in a tiny cage and had been since she was a cub. She was not with other bears.'
Director of Four Paws Ukraine Taras Boiko said the rescue was a complex journey across Poland, Germany and Austria, especially with current travel restrictions.
Jambolina will remain in an adaption enclosure so that the team of animal caretakers can observe her for the time being before she is introduced to the other bears
She had been used as a circus bear but public performances were cancelled during the coronavirus lockdown, meaning her owners could no longer afford to keep her
Four Paws' Barbara van Genne said: 'Transporting a bear across four national and two EU borders is a big challenge, even more so in COVID-19 times.
'We had to ensure Jambolina’s wellbeing at all times while a lot of paperwork and controls were needed for the logistical part of the transfer.'
Worker at the Swiss centre will first check if Jambolina wants to hibernate which is something she would previously have been unable to do while in captivity.
They are hoping that this natural instinct will help her to return to her bear roots.
Four Paws' Barbara van Genne said: 'Her teeth are in bad condition and her claws need further examination'
They highlighted the case of two other rescued bears, Amelia and Meimo, who are also at the refuge and this year went to hibernate in a man-made cave.
Van Genne said: 'Jambolina's keeping conditions were far from species-appropriate, which had a negative impact on her health.
'Her teeth are in bad condition and her claws need further examination.
'For the time being, she will remain in an adaption enclosure so that the team of animal caretakers can observe her.
A snow groomer brought Jambolina safely through the snow masses at over 2,000 meters above sea level on the final part of her journey
Director of Four Paws Ukraine Taras Boiko said the rescue was a complex journey across Poland, Germany and Austria, especially with current travel restrictions
'Through targeted food distribution, she will be accustomed to the rhythm of hibernation and hopefully regain her natural instincts.'
A snow groomer brought Jambolina safely through the snow masses at over 2,000 meters above sea level on the final part of her journey.
Private ownership of bears in Ukraine is possible as long as they are not captured in the wild and are cubs from bears already in captivity.
Cages are required to be a minimum of 322sqft (30 square metres) and 10ft (three metres) high but there is little monitoring or punishment for breaches of the regulations.
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