Along with FPWC (Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets), we are calling for the release of a blind bear in Armenia that has spent its entire life behind bars. Nelson the brown bear has lived in a small filthy cage ever since he was a cub. He is given very little food and water and, according to locals, sometimes goes for days without anything to eat.
We are calling on the Armenian government to force the bear’s captor – a man named Armen Tadevosyan – to surrender the bear to our partners in Armenia, FPWC. In 2017 we launched The Great Bear rescue which aims to save all the caged bears in Armenia. So far we have rescued 30 bears but believe there may be as many as 50 still in need of help.
Alan Knight, Chief Executive of IAR, said: “This poor bear has served a 30 year life sentence behind bars. He has suffered the mental and physical torture of a lifetime locked up in a small, barren cage with nothing to amuse or distract him. He has paced round and round for so long that he has worn a track on the floor. His teeth are broken from gnawing frantically on the bars of the cage. And about two years ago, the poor animal went blind. He is in pain from arthritis and now he also lives in darkness.
“The life sentence this bear has endured must not be allowed to turn into a death sentence. There is still time for him to be treated with kindness and compassion. We’re calling on the Armenian government to show clemency to this bear by allowing us to rescue him while there is still time. His ‘owner’ claims to love the bear but loving an animal means taking proper care of it and feeding it, not letting it live in squalor and neglect.”
Ruben Khachatryan, Chief Executive of FPWC, said: “We need the government’s go ahead to rescue this poor old bear and give it the life it deserves. Shame on the man who has allowed him to live for 30 years in such a shocking state. He must surely be the world’s saddest bear, to have lived in pain and in darkness for such a very long time. Once the government is aware of this case, it can’t turn its back on the animal’s suffering.
“With the government’s support, we can move this bear to our “Wildlife Rescue Centre” where our rescued bears are well cared for and learn to enjoy life once again. Our vet will treat his ailments and we can even find out whether his sight could be restored. The people of Armenia will be horrified that an animal is being kept in such appalling conditions and I know will join us in calling on the government to act immediately to save him.”