{{Short description, Bear sanctuary in Germany The Bear Sanctuary Müritz (german: Bärenwald Müritz) near Stuer in the north-east of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

is a project that provides a species-appropriate home for mistreated and neglected captive bears.

Background

Since 2006 Bear Sanctuary Müritz offers alternative accommodations for bears originating from poor keeping conditions in

. During this time, the sanctuary has also become home to bears from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. It is the biggest bear sanctuary in Western Europe.The biggest bear sanctuary in Western Europe
Four-paws.org June 13, 2018

Location and size

The sanctuary is situated in

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

Lake District The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...

area in the north-east of

. The park is on the southern tip of lake Plauer See, one of the largest lakes in this region. The sanctuary was named after the national park and lake ''

Müritz The Müritz (; from Slavic "little sea") is a lake in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northern Germany. Its area is , which makes it the second largest lake in Germany (after Lake Constance) and the largest lake located entirely within German territory ...

'', which is situated close to the sanctuary and is a well-known tourist destination. The sanctuary comprises 16 ha, of which 12 ha are built up with large outdoor enclosures that offer a varied landscape with mixed woodland, grasslands, forest glades, hillsides and a natural water course.2017 ANNUAL REPORT
Media.4-paws.org February 8, 2019

Number and origin of bears

The sanctuary provides a home for

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is kno ...

s that were kept in inadequate conditions in

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

es or private captivity. Sixteen brown bears live in the outdoor enclosures. Some bears live in pairs or groups, whereas others prefer to live by themselves. A socialization process and evaluation take place before

Four Paws Four Paws (stylized 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 ...

experts decide to have bears live with one another permanently. The first bears that arrived on October 15, 2006, were "Lothar" and "Sindi". The most recent arrivals to the sanctuary are "Sylvia" and "Pavle", the last circus bears from

who have lived at the sanctuary since November 2017.18 bears live in the BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz
Baerenwald-mueritz.de February 8, 2019 Other bears include Michal, Tapsi, Dushi, Felix, Rocco, Ida, Luna, Marei, Mascha, Otto, and Clara.

Education and visitor service

Bear Sanctuary Müritz is open for visitors all year long. Visitors can take a walk through the park, experience the bears in their natural environment and learn more about wildlife species. Special visitor attractions established in recent years are the nature visitor trail, the "bear academy" and the "boulevard of the region".

References

External links