We rescued Retta the brown bear in October 2024. We found her in a small, barren cage in the entrance to a tourist resort in Armenia. She was grossly overweight, with damaged teeth from gnawing on the bars of her cage. She has been left deeply traumatised by her years in captivity.
During the brief time that we have been caring for her we have observed just how much pain Retta is in. She is frightened by the slightest noise – even a door slamming or the sound of human voices leaves her trembling at the back of the quarantine quarters.
For years Retta couldn’t do anything for herself. She could only move a few feet around her cage. She could only eat what was given to her. She was reduced to an object of curiosity for people to stare at. Keeping her in that small, barren cage has left her with deep psychological scars. And now it will take time and patience to help her recover and return her to the bear she was born to be.
While Retta is now in the care of people who love her and will give her the care she needs, even being moved to our sanctuary was very distressing for her. The tiny cage she lived in was nothing more than a prison cell but it was all she had known for years. That small space was her entire world. And, in being forced to live as a captive, Retta lost the mental and physical ability to do anything for herself.
Before she was rescued, we had observed Retta walking for hours in small circles in her cage. This ‘stereotypic behaviour’ is caused by chronic stress and boredom and it is often self-destructive, like gnawing on bars or running headfirst into walls. These are not behaviours ever seen in wild animals.
It’s horrible to see an animal in such a state of distress that it will even risk injuring itself to escape from its torment. I have seen it many times before with dancing bears that we have cut free from the short rope that has held them captive. The bear is often agitated at first – scared and confused by the sudden disappearance of the rope through his nose, running wildly at walls and fences, as though looking for the familiar sensation of it yanking at his muzzle. It was a long process to help the sloth bears recover from the trauma of their past lives. And that may be the case with Retta too.
Retta’s keeper is focusing on keeping her calm and quiet, and giving her all the time she needs to adjust to her new surroundings. Unfamiliar noises and even the sound of human voices still upset and frighten Retta.
At IAR we have every confidence in our partners FPWC who are entrusted with Retta’s care. Keeper Arman is working on building her confidence, providing her with plenty of environmental enrichment to encourage her out of her traumatised state and using specialist target training to reduce her stress when the vets need to examine or take blood from her.
Fortunately, Retta has time on her side. She is still a relatively young bear, with years ahead of her in which to live and behave like a bear. And there is much we can do to help her recover from her trauma. With your help, we can provide Retta with all she needs to recover from the pain of her life behind bars and enjoy a better future. Please, if you can, give whatever you can today to support Retta on her journey of recovery. Thank you.