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Bear suffering in Gotha - enough!
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- Category: News - Foundation for Bears
Why is the Syrian brown bear "Sarah" in a desolate place surrounded by stone walls still being abused as an exhibit, when she could have been living an animal rights-based life in alternative projects for years? The offer to take her - as well as her species and fellow sufferer "Ben" - in order to give them a better life in our extensive, near-natural open-air enclosures was already made years ago - and it still applies. "Ben" has passed away in the meantime and as far as "Sarah" is concerned, the responsible people from Gotha remain stubborn.
What do we criticize?
The facility at the zoo in Gotha is much too small for bears. Comparison: in our Worbiser animal protection project - where we still offer a place for "Sarah" - 13 animals live on 5 hectares [in the zoo Gotha live about 600 animals on 6 hectares]. Furthermore the bear area is barren, surrounded by concrete, walls and safety glass. Retreat possibilities are - despite costly renovation - inadequate. There is a lack of employment, therefore "Sarah" shows conspicuous behavioural disorders. Basically, the complex lacks a structure, a three-dimensionality. Hills and vegetation would be important, so that the animal would not only have to walk on one level, but also up and down, to promote balanced movement. Otherwise, severe damage to the bones is inevitable.
What do we offer?
In our animal protection project, spacious open-air enclosures in a mixed forest with numerous hiding places, conspecifics, lush thicket and natural activity await them. In addition, our team is specialised in the handling and therapy of bears with behavioural disorders.
Isn't the female bear at 27 years of age too old to be transported?
Old trees are not transplanted - a saying that is often used as an excuse to leave animals in their suffering environment. But we have made the experience that it is always worthwhile to give animals a better life. Only last year we could prove this with the rescue of DARIA and DORO [both 28 years old at that time]. The two old ladies have settled in excellently in our facilities and have already blossomed after a few weeks. Every day counts!
Background
For years we have been criticising the keeping of not only bears but almost all large animals in the Gotha Zoo. The areas are much too small, rather resemble a wasteland and have not much to do with modern animal husbandry or behavioral housing. As FOUNDATION FOR BEARS we offered our help to improve the situation of the two Syrian brown bears "Ben" and "Sarah", to accommodate them in our animal protection project. Unfortunately, all efforts were unsuccessful, instead of handing over the animals, the enclosure was laboriously "renewed" ["Ben" dies before], which, however, does not bring any significant improvements for "Sarah". The walls, the little space, the desolation remain the same. Nevertheless, the zoo now officially calls the area species-appropriate - a farce that we cannot accept. In addition, we receive numerous inquiries from animal-loving people, whether we can help the bear. At the moment our hands are tied without the consent of the owners, but we hope that the people in charge of the zoo in Gotha will finally decide for the welfare of the animals.
Until then we start the action #bärenwaldfürsarah. Whoever wants to support us in helping the brown bear to live an animal-friendly life, can do so by sending a protest mail to the KultTourStadt Gotha GmbH under the hashtag #bärenwaldfürsarah on all social media - or write directly to the responsible persons themselves.
Christoph Gösel - Managing Director KulTourStadt Gotha GmbH
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The protest letter:
We join the protest of the FOUNDATION FOR BEARS #bärenwaldfürsarah and ask you to put an end to the years of animal suffering in the Gotha Zoo. As a cultural city the zoo is no longer up to date and accommodates besides the bear keeping numerous species which are only minimum requirements. Only nature is species-appropriate, therefore we demand a conceptual restructuring of the zoo for an optimal and animal-appropriate accommodation. The FOUNDATION offers itself again to offer first of all a new home to the existing bear and to give professional advice, so that the cultural animal park in Gotha has a future.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***