Rescued bear cubs arrive at forever home in Devon

The siblings were saved from certain death after being abandoned by their mother in the Albanian wilderness

Author: Sophie SquiresPublished 5th Jun 2021

For the first time in its history, a Devon Wildlife Park has welcomed two Eurasian brown bear cubs.

Mish and Lucy - who are unable to return to the wild - have arrived at their forever home at Wildwood Escot, after a temporary stay at the Trust's sister park in Kent.

The pair, who were rescued from certain death in the Albanian mountains in 2019, will be able to enjoy lots of enrichment at their new home.

In the coming weeks, visitors will also be able to book a "Bear Experience", giving them a unique opportunity to meet and learn all about the bears with exclusive behind the scenes access.

"We couldn't be happier to have Mish and Lucy here after all this time. They'll be the first bears we've ever had at the park and we've created a fantastic woodland home for them to explore and grow in.

"Lucy and Mish had a really tough start in life but really thrived under the care of our expert keepers in Kent. We can't wait to continue the great rehabilitative work that the team has already started.

"We're also really excited to be able to give visitors the park a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the bears up close and learn all about them. They'll even be able to scatter a feed, before meeting the bears and giving them a treat."

George Hyde - Wildwood Escot General Manager

The orphaned bears will begin life at Escot in a temporary residence while the finishing touches are added to their forever home.

Visitors to the park will be able to get up close to these extraordinary animals by walking on a very exciting 'bear bridge' which will link two sides of the exhibit and give guests a birds-eye view over the cubs' woodland home.

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