Baloo the Bear Moves Home

A new animal protection law passed recently in Romania has come to the aid of Baloo the bear and her three cubs, that were living in squalid conditions in a village near Bucharest.

Bear trainer Mircea Molner waved goodbye to his bear family as they were rounded up ready to start a new life in a sanctuary in the Carpathian mountains. The authorities had found that Baloo and her brood were lacking the bear necessities of life in their cramped, little enclosure and that Molner didn't have his paperwork in order to keep the four-year old mum and her tots.

Romania's record of animal protection is patchy at best; westerners visiting any city zoo are likely to be horrified at the concrete cells and the all to often manacled inhabitants. However, the new legislation is designed to crack down on the problems of animals being kept in private and Baloo is the first beneficiary of the newly enlightened Romanian attitude to its furry friends.