Most of the time bears are kept in cages - far from complying required standards. There are also isolated cases of bears being treated like pets and posing a risk for the lives of local residents. The Ministry of Environment led national activists and international organizations during 2016, facilitating the procedures to rescue and transfer around 20 bears to specialized parks where they would adapt to semi-free conditions of living (Italy, Germany, Kosovo, Bulgaria and Greece).

Although some concrete results have been achieved, governmental institutions and the public are still not sensitive enough to ensure a long term solution to this problem. Looking for the sustainable programme, a number of local organizations, the National Agency for Protected Areas and Four PAWS, established the coalition Save Albanian Bears on 17 February 2017. The aim of this coalition is to raise the public awareness, advocate for sustainable solutions related to the wildlife in captivity, work on the law enforcement and improvement and building of specialized rehabilitation centers for rescued animals.

More information:

Marinela Mitro, Institute for Nature Conservation in Albania