Animal rights activists have rescued a female bear that was forced to perform in circuses for more than a decade and has been kept locked up in a tiny cage for most of its life.
International animal welfare organization Four Paws took the European brown bear, known as "Jambolina," from her owner's garage in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, where the cage was located, before transporting her nearly 1,500 miles to her now home—a bear sanctuary in Switzerland.
Jambolina was born in in January, 2009 at Yalta Zoo, Crimea. But at just a few weeks old, she was sold to her owner who trained her as a circus bear. Jambolina had to perform tricks and was used as an "attraction" in Ukrainian circuses until March this year, Katharina Braun, a spokesperson for Four Paws International, told Newsweek.
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"She was kept alone in a tiny cage and had been since she was a cub. She was not with other bears," Braun told the MailOnline.
Due to the pandemic, performances at the circus have been cancelled since March. As a result, the bear remained locked up for several months while her owner, who could no longer afford to keep her, looked for a solution.
Four Paws liaised with the owner and the organization eventually secured the release of the bear.
"Because her owner and trainer can't earn any more money with her, and because he feels that her current situation is not animal-friendly, the owner has decided to give up the profession of animal trainer and to give away Jambolina," Braun told Newsweek. "Since then he has been looking for a solution to ensure she can have 'a good retirement.' The owner was very cooperative."
On December 8, a team from the non-profit arrived in Ukraine to collect Jambolina, freeing her from her cage, in which she had spent most of her time when not performing.
