By Isle of Wight Observer
I cannot begin to describe how I felt this week when I got to announce that we have hit our £150,000 target to build a new habitat for Benji and Balu, two European brown bears in dire need of rescue from Azerbaijan, and all in just 5 months!
To say that this is an incredible achievement for us, feels somewhat of an understatement! Myself and everyone here at the Sanctuary is truly humbled by the outpouring of support we have received across the board, from kids to companies, across the Island and beyond, all of which has gone above and beyond our wildest expectations. These crucial funds mean that we will now be able to complete Benji and Balu’s new home early next year, in time for their much-anticipated arrival in Spring 2025.
But as we celebrate this fantastic milestone, we are reminded of the next immense challenge ahead of us, which is getting the bears from Azerbaijan to the sanctuary, an epic journey of over 3,000 miles. Originally, we were promised a sponsored flight to bring Benji and Balu to the UK. However, our team recently received the devastating news that this offer has since been withdrawn for reasons which we don’t fully understand. This means that, now, not only do we need to raise the funds for all of the transportation costs, vets, crates, road transport etc, we also need to secure another flight to reduce the time that Benji and Balu will have to spend in a crate.
Of course, this news was crushing for everyone involved with the project, as it leaves a massive hole in our campaign. We know that asking our supporters to help us raise more funds is a big ask, but there is no Plan B for these bears. If we don’t rescue them, nobody else will. And sadly, this is because there are countless other bears being kept in horrific conditions across Europe – more than we could ever rescue by ourselves.
This begs the question: what is our sanctuary trying to achieve, by rescuing two bears half way across the world, when there are so many others in the same situation? To that question, my response is this. Rescuing these two bears doesn’t change the world on its own, but it will change the world for these two bears. Benji and Balu have spent over a decade in a concrete cage, and we think they deserve to feel safe and respected, in an environment that mimics their natural habitat where they can explore, relax, and rehabilitate.
We hope that by telling Benji and Balu’s story, concern will spread beyond our borders and raise awareness of the plight of all bears, many of whom are in need of rescue across Europe, driving action from other organisations and decision-makers to help us put a stop to this animal cruelty. Furthermore, it also continues our vision to educate the younger generation about bears – both at here, at the Wildheart Sanctuary, and abroad – and teach them that these beautiful and intelligent creatures do not deserve to be kept in concrete prisons as objects of entertainment.
Our sincerest thanks to everyone who has helped with this rescue in a myriad of different ways. There are really not the words to truly convey our heartfelt gratitude. Thank you!