Post by warsaw on Mar 31, 2015 8:45:36 GMT -9
www.worldanimalprotection.org.nz/latestnews/2013/Worlds-oldest-bear-dies-in-WSPA-designed-sanctuary.aspx
.JPG?1370860580)
Andreas, a European brown bear, was born in the northern forests of Greece sometime around 1963 but instead of living the rest of his life in the forests he was caught as a cub and cruelly trained to stand up and shuffle around as if dancing – for the entertainment of tourists, and for the next 30 years he was dragged around the streets of Greek towns by a chain through his nose and forced to perform his sad dance. Andreas was one of the last dancing bears used in Greece. His gypsy owners kept him chained and fed him little but Andreas survived this life of torment until the winter morning in January 1993 when he was rescued as part of the project to eradicate the cruel trade in dancing bears from Greece. He was taken to the newly created bear sanctuary in northern Greece which was managed by the Greek environmental group called Arcturos.
Andreas was blind and very old at around 30 years of age. In the wild, bears live maybe 20 years but as their teeth break or fall out and their health decreases they tend to die of natural causes before the age of 25. But Andreas, despite his age, survived another 20 years in the beautiful forested bear sanctuary in the mountains of northern Greece. He shared a large forest enclosure with a number of other rescued dancing bears and he was able to feel the grass beneath his paws and the fresh water of a pool while being provided with all the food and veterinary care he needed in his old age.
Arcturos said that Andreas died peacefully in his den on May 24th 2013 which meant he was about 50 years of age – maybe a year or so over that. As far as Arcturos is aware this made Andreas the oldest bear ever to be kept in captivity, certainly the oldest in a bear sanctuary. It is a testament to Arcturos that this aged bear lived so long as he was given the best care during his time at the sanctuary. Andreas was a popular sight for the many visitors to the Greek bear sanctuary and they even made a special Andreas teddy bear to be sold as a souvenir of such a visit.
There are still 10 rescued bears living in the Greek sanctuary and Arcturos does an amazing amount of educational work to teach children about the need to protect wildlife. They also carry out many projects aimed at protecting bears, wolves and other native Greek wildlife.
But they need more support. If you want to help Arcturos care for their rescued bears and continue to work on their educational and wildlife protection programmes you can make a donation through their web site or even adopt one of their rescued bears.
Andreas, a European brown bear, was born in the northern forests of Greece sometime around 1963 but instead of living the rest of his life in the forests he was caught as a cub and cruelly trained to stand up and shuffle around as if dancing – for the entertainment of tourists, and for the next 30 years he was dragged around the streets of Greek towns by a chain through his nose and forced to perform his sad dance. Andreas was one of the last dancing bears used in Greece. His gypsy owners kept him chained and fed him little but Andreas survived this life of torment until the winter morning in January 1993 when he was rescued as part of the project to eradicate the cruel trade in dancing bears from Greece. He was taken to the newly created bear sanctuary in northern Greece which was managed by the Greek environmental group called Arcturos.
Andreas was blind and very old at around 30 years of age. In the wild, bears live maybe 20 years but as their teeth break or fall out and their health decreases they tend to die of natural causes before the age of 25. But Andreas, despite his age, survived another 20 years in the beautiful forested bear sanctuary in the mountains of northern Greece. He shared a large forest enclosure with a number of other rescued dancing bears and he was able to feel the grass beneath his paws and the fresh water of a pool while being provided with all the food and veterinary care he needed in his old age.
Arcturos said that Andreas died peacefully in his den on May 24th 2013 which meant he was about 50 years of age – maybe a year or so over that. As far as Arcturos is aware this made Andreas the oldest bear ever to be kept in captivity, certainly the oldest in a bear sanctuary. It is a testament to Arcturos that this aged bear lived so long as he was given the best care during his time at the sanctuary. Andreas was a popular sight for the many visitors to the Greek bear sanctuary and they even made a special Andreas teddy bear to be sold as a souvenir of such a visit.
There are still 10 rescued bears living in the Greek sanctuary and Arcturos does an amazing amount of educational work to teach children about the need to protect wildlife. They also carry out many projects aimed at protecting bears, wolves and other native Greek wildlife.
But they need more support. If you want to help Arcturos care for their rescued bears and continue to work on their educational and wildlife protection programmes you can make a donation through their web site or even adopt one of their rescued bears.