Bear cub snatched from mother at zoo, stuffed into box (video)

Anyone who has even mild affection for animals will be disturbed by new footage released by Four Paws, showing a female bear cub being snatched from her mother and cruelly stuffed into a tiny transport crate. The incident occurred at Lutsk Zoo in Ukraine. Four Paws, an animal welfare group, says Natsia was purchased to become a photo model for tourists.

Amir Khalil, head of the Four Paws project in Ukraine, stated in a news release: "These are the most shocking pictures I have seen in my long career in animal welfare. It is not just the outstanding brutality that was applied that demonstrates the inhumanity seen in this video.

"A baby bear in the wild usually stays with their mother for two years. When taken away from her too early, the cub remains traumatised and suffers from a lack of real socialisation."

Selling zoo animals to private buyers is illegal in the Ukraine and Four Paws is trying to persuade the government to confiscate the cub and reunite the animal with its mother.

-- Hat tip to Nicolas Entrup for passing this along

Comments

[Nona]

Hi Pete,
Any word on what's become of the poor little cub? (I couldn't bring myself to watch the video, the description was disturbing enough.) Would love an update, if you have one.
Nona

PS: Really enjoying your blog.