The Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr is a national park and bear protected area in Ukraine that was founded in 2013 by an animal welfare organization Four Paws (Vienna, Austria) due to the abuse of bears for baiting and using illegally for dog fights on hunting stations. [1]
Four Paws began building a new bear sanctuary in summer 2016 for the purpose of housing baiting bears, in addition to housing individual animals from other forms of bear keeping. The first construction phase was finalised in autumn 2017. After all construction is completed, the sanctuary will have the capacity to house up to 30 bears. [2]
Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr is situated in Western Ukraine, near Lviv, in the Unesco Roztochya Biosphere Reserve. The overall land plot area for establishing the sanctuary comprises approximately 20 hectare. The first finalised area of 7.7 hectare provides space for ten bears with three outdoor enclosures offering a natural environment for the bears, and four smaller outdoor enclosures for the adaptation of the bears following their rescue. [3]
The sanctuary provides a home and care for ten Ukrainian brown bears. The first bear, Potap, was rescued and transferred to the sanctuary in July 2017, receiving the care by Four Paws keepers. [4]
The sanctuary has been open for visitors since October 2017. Like all Four Paws, Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr offers guided tours and exhibition tools for environmental education. [5]
The Wildheart Sanctuary, previously known as the Isle of Wight Zoo and Sandown Zoo, is a sanctuary inside the former Sandown Fort on the coastline of Sandown, Isle of Wight. The zoo was privately owned but became a charitable trust in 2017. The collection focuses principally on big cats and Madagascan animals.
Bear-baiting is a blood sport in which a chained bear and one or more dogs are forced to fight one another. It may also involve pitting a bear against another animal. Until the 19th century, it was commonly performed in Great Britain, Sweden, India, Pakistan, and Mexico among others.
The Wild Animal Sanctuary is a 1,214-acre (491 ha) animal sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, United States. The sanctuary specializes in rescuing and caring for large predators which are being ill-treated, for which their owners can no longer care, or which might otherwise be euthanized. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a state and federally licensed zoological facility.
Samboja Lestari is a Bornean orangutan rescue and rehabilitation centre, tropical rainforest restoration project, sun bear sanctuary, and eco-lodge located in the town of Samboja in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, owned and operated by the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation. According to its founder, Willie Smits, Samboja Lestari uses the principles of People, Planet, Profit, attempting to provide incomes for local people using conservation. It is located about 38 kilometres from East Kalimantan's biggest city, Balikpapan.
The Karlsruhe Zoo is a city garden with a zoo in the southwest of Karlsruhe, Germany. It also encompasses the outer area; Tierpark Oberwald in the southeast of the city. The main area totals 22 hectares, and the Oberwald Zoo has an area of 16 hectares. A total of around 3000 animals of over 240 species live at the Zoologische Stadtgarten Karlsruhe. The city garden is located north of the Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof and south of the Karlsruhe Congress between the Karlsruhe districts of Südstadt and Südweststadt. The zoo was opened in 1865, making it one of the oldest zoos in Germany. The city garden and zoo form a common, enclosed area and cannot be visited separately.
Arignar Anna Zoological Park, also known as the Vandalur Zoo, is a zoological garden located in Vandalur, is in the southwestern part of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, about 31 kilometres (19 mi) from the Chennai Central and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Chennai Airport. Established in 1855, it is the first public zoo in India. It is affiliated with the Central Zoo Authority of India. Spread over an area of 602 hectares, including a 92.45-hectare (228.4-acre) rescue and rehabilitation centre, the park is the largest zoological park in India. The zoo houses 2,553 species of flora and fauna across 1,265 acres (512 ha). As of 2012 the park houses around 1,500 wild species, including 46 endangered species, in its 160 enclosures. As of 2010, there were about 47 species of mammals, 63 species of birds, 31 species of reptiles, 5 species of amphibians, 28 species of fishes, and 10 species of insects in the park. The park, with an objective to be a repository of the state's fauna, is credited with being the second wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu after Mudumalai National Park.
Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary is a 501(c)3 nonprofit American domestic, wildlife, and exotic animal rescue and rehabilitation center. It is located on 250 acres in Locust Grove, Georgia and houses over 1,500 animals. Many of the center's animals were rescued from unlicensed owners, donated by circuses and zoos, or surrendered by individuals who were either unable to provide the proper care or did not want them.
Kund Park, established in 2000, is an animal theme park located in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The park is a conservation center and sanctuary for Asian black bears and Himalayan brown bears. It also houses leopards as well as various species of cranes, deer, ducks, parrots, peafowls and pheasants.
Balkasar Bear Sanctuary, established in 2010 by Fakhar-i-Abbas of CBR, is an animal sanctuary in Balkassar, Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan. The sanctuary provides a retirement and rehabilitation home, and veterinary care for rescued bears from bear-baiting events. It houses the endangered species of Asian black bears and Himalayan brown bears. Balkasar Bear Sanctuary also has ornithology and herpetology research stations.
The Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre is a wildlife centre located roughly 25 miles (40 km) by road south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The centre was established in 1995 and with an area of over 6,000 acres of protected regenerating forest, this is the largest zoo in Cambodia. Since 2001, PTWRC has been run by the government institution of Cambodian Forestry Administration in partnership with an environmental non-profit organization called Wildlife Alliance. Wildlife Alliance animal husbandry specialists, veterinarians, and care takers assist in the feeding and care of animals and operations. PTWRC currently houses over 1,200 rescued animals from 102 species including endangered Asian elephants, tigers, Pileated gibbon, Siamese crocodile, Malayan sun bears, among many others. Many of the species are listed as Endangered or Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Bear Sanctuary Prishtina is a sanctuary for rescued brown bears in Kosovo 22 km close to the city of Prishtina.
The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is a wildlife conservation and research centre for improving animal welfare and rehabilitation of the Malayan sun bear. It also aims to raise public awareness about the plight of the sun bears and to raise conservation awareness about this species.
Zoo Osnabrück is located in south Osnabrück at the hillside of Schölerberg in Osnabrück, Germany. It was founded under the name "Heimattiergarten", and opened during the summer of 1936. Almost 3000 animals from roughly 300 species can be seen on the 23.5 ha (0.235 km2) land. It is famous for housing the Grolar Bear. This brought about many scientific inquiries into the zoo.
Four Paws is a global animal welfare organisation based in Vienna, Austria. The organisation is focusing on gradually improving the living conditions of animals under direct human influence, by revealing suffering, rescuing animals in need and protecting them.
The Bear Sanctuary Ninh Binh is located in Vietnam and was completed in December 2017 by Four Paws due to the production of bear bile and the illegal trade of bear products.
The Bear Sanctuary Müritz near Stuer in the north-east of Germany is a project that provides a species-appropriate home for mistreated and neglected captive bears.
The Bear Sanctuary Belitsa is a project of Four Paws and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation near the town of Belitsa in South West Bulgaria and provides mistreated and neglected brown bears with a home.
Amir Khalil is an Egyptian veterinarian and Director of Project Development at the animal welfare organisation Four Paws International. He is most known as the war vet, saving animals from disaster areas and war zones.
The Al Ma'wa Wildlife Reserve in Jerash province north of Amman was established in 2011 by the Princess Alia Foundation in partnership with the international animal welfare organisation Four Paws. It is the largest sanctuary for rescued and mistreated wildlife in the Middle East.