Rescued bear brothers move to new enclosure
Two brown bear brothers rescued from a cage near a restaurant in Azerbaijan and brought to the Isle of Wight have finally got to explore their new home.
Benji and Balu arrived at Wildheart Animal Sanctuary in Sandown on 4 June.
Public donations went towards the almost £218,000 raised for their transport and a brand new enclosure for the pair.
The brothers have been kept in a holding pen while they settled on the island but were released on Friday into a new 3,500sqm space in-keeping with their natural environment.
About two years ago, they were relocated by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan from a restaurant, where they had been kept to attract customers, to a temporary shelter.
Wildheart Animal Sanctuary started fundraising to rehome the bears having become aware of their situation in May 2024.
You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Bear brothers kept in cage arrive at sanctuary
Wildheart Animal Sanctuary
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rescued bear brothers move to new enclosure
Two brown bear brothers rescued from a cage near a restaurant in Azerbaijan and brought to the Isle of Wight have finally got to explore their new home. Benji and Balu arrived at Wildheart Animal Sanctuary in Sandown on 4 June. Public donations went towards the almost £218,000 raised for their transport and a brand new enclosure for the pair. The brothers have been kept in a holding pen while they settled on the island but were released on Friday into a new 3,500sqm space in-keeping with their natural environment. About two years ago, they were relocated by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan from a restaurant, where they had been kept to attract customers, to a temporary shelter. Wildheart Animal Sanctuary started fundraising to rehome the bears having become aware of their situation in May 2024. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Bear brothers kept in cage arrive at sanctuary Wildheart Animal Sanctuary
CBS News
19 hours ago
- CBS News
Allegheny County Jail, Animal Friends launch TAILS initiative
The Allegheny County Jail and Pittsburgh-based animal shelter Animal Friends are teaming up to launch the TAILS initiative. TAILS, otherwise known as the Teaching Animals and Incarcerated Lifelong Skills program, is a pilot program designed to provide training and companionship between shelter dogs and allow incarcerated individuals to learn skills associated with fostering pets. The pilot program recently launched with the arrival of Ethel, a 2-year-old, 38-pound mixed-breed dog, who joined the women's program unit at the county jail on June 11. Ethel is a 2-year-old, 38-pound mixed-breed dog who joined the women's program unit at the county jail on June 11. Photo Credit: Allegheny County Jail Ethel will reside with two incarcerated handlers to learn basic manners and build confidence under the guidance of the jail and Animal Friends' behavior staff in hopes of finding a forever home, per a press release from the Allegheny County Jail. If the program is deemed successful, it may expand to include more dogs and units. "The TAILS program is something new and exciting that will benefit all who are involved," said Kelsey Gordon, the jail's female pod coordinator and the creator of the program's name. "The incarcerated women will have something to look forward to each day, the officers who are dog lovers can use it as a morale booster, and the shelter is creating space for other dogs to be rescued. Everyone wins." This is the second such program Animal Friends has launched with a state correctional institution. "This pilot program is a powerful example of what's possible when we come together for both people and animals," said Katie Vecchi, Chief Shelter Operations Officer. "Programs like TAILS align perfectly with our mission - giving vulnerable animals a second chance and creating meaningful opportunities for human-animal connection." Warden Trevor Wingard also showed great interest in launching the program. Wingard had previously implemented similar initiatives during his tenure with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. "I've seen firsthand the transformational impact these programs can have," said Warden Wingard. "They improve the lives of incarcerated individuals, give shelter animals the love and attention they need to thrive, and offer our facility a more positive environment overall. We hope Ethel is just the beginning." Ethel has been affectionately described as a "very sweet and high-energy girl" who would thrive with a family that can meet her active lifestyle and continue her positive reinforcement training. Interested adopters can learn more about Ethel and the adoption process by clicking here.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Mama Raccoon Bravely Saves Baby From Falling off Roof in Harrowing Video
Mama Raccoon Bravely Saves Baby From Falling off Roof in Harrowing Video originally appeared on PetHelpful. ABC News shared a video on Wednesday, June 18th filmed by a couple in Pennsylvania watching a mama raccoon struggle to save her baby from falling off a roof. The video shows the mom already struggling to hold on to her baby as he flails and tries to hold on to her. Make sure your sound is on so you can hear the couple's conversation as they watch the events unfold. The mama raccoon refuses to give up; moms everywhere know that when it comes to protecting our babies, failure isn't an option! We love it when the man says, "That is the will of a mama right there," because he's spot on! That mama raccoon was not about to let that baby fall, and we're sure that the baby learned a lesson, too! Viewers of ABC News' video left more than 500 comments, and people were impressed by the raccoon's tenacity. @Amy shared, "That raccoon mom is a true hero, showing the strength and determination of a mother's love." @Kate Crawford Sanger added, "That's that adrenaline mom rush!" @Nate Ridgely had our favorite comment, "So the 'mom gets super strength to pick a car up off of a baby' isn't just limited to humans? Moms are badass regardless of species!"Some animal species (like cuckoo birds, sharks, and hippos) are terrible mothers, which made us wonder if raccoons are or if this mama raccoon's actions were just a one-off. According to the Wildlife Removal blog, raccoons are great mothers. "Raccoons are excellent mothers. They take great care of their babies. When the babies are young, they stay in a nest while the mother raccoon goes and forages for extra food to make enough milk to feed them." We're guessing the baby in this video was probably at this stage, "After about twelve weeks, the young have grown large enough that they start to follow the mother outside of the nest area (the nest is usually in a tree hollow or an attic) and outside, where they learn from her how to forage for food, and where are the best places to go." This baby found out where not to go! The article goes on to say that the babies are weaned by 16 weeks. The youngsters often stay with their mom for up to nine months before finally starting life on their own. Mama Raccoon Bravely Saves Baby From Falling off Roof in Harrowing Video first appeared on PetHelpful on Jun 19, 2025 This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
