'Emaciated and injured' bears rehomed at sanctuary

Two bears are set to be rehomed at an animal sanctuary in the UK after being discovered "emaciated" and injured at a restaurant in Azerbaijan.

More than £225,000 has been raised by the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, on the Isle of Wight, to build a "world-leading" facility which will be used to rehome Benji and Balu.

The two bears are thought to have been kept in inhumane conditions in a cage on the side of a restaurant, until their captivity was ruled to be illegal.

Having been saved by Azerbaijani charity, Good World Animal Rescue and Protection (GWARP), the bears are expected to be transported to the UK within the next month.

"Brothers Benji and Balu have lived a life of misery in a tiny cage on the side of a restaurant in Azerbaijan," the sanctuary said.

"Bored, hungry and suffering from serious injuries, these bears were kept there as nothing more than a novelty to attract customers."

They were discovered "emaciated and in a very poor condition", caged in the woods with 13 other bears by animal welfare charity GWARP, which has since been caring for them.

Having become aware of Benji and Balu in May 2024, Wildheart Animal Sanctuary fundraised hundreds of thousands of pounds to build a home for the bears.

The 3500 sq m (37,700 sq ft) facility can host up to four bears, with the brothers set to become its first residents next month.

"There are so many bears in need of rescue across Europe and a lack of facilities or space to house these bears who cannot be returned to the wild," the sanctuary's marketing director Lee Saudan said.

"We will provide them with bespoke care plans to ensure that they recover from the trauma they have experienced, with a forever home that will allow them to be bears again, with ponds and a stream, grass, trees, and places to hibernate, none of which they have every experienced before," he added.

Benji and Balu are expected to be flown on a flight sponsored by the airline Cargolux from Baku to their new home on the Isle of Wight in June.

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