Orphaned bear cubs released
Image: Alexandros Karamanlidis
A pair of endangered brown bear cubs dubbed Little John and Nikitas have been released back into the wild after nine months in a Greek rehabilitation centre. Brown bears are amongst the most severely endangered mammals in Greece, and there were grave fears for the cubs' futures after attempts to reunite the then-three-month-old cubs with their mother failed.
The cubs learned essential survival skills in a 10-hectare enclosure of natural forest at the Arcturos Bear Rehabilitation Centre that constitutes controlled conditions similar to the natural habitat of the brown bear. Prior to the their release, a spot was selected in the bear's natural range in North-Western Greece and a den was dug. Due to the presence of a metre of snow on the frozen ground and the need to set up a suitably durable webcam inside the den, the process took three days.
The bears were then sedated and examined by experts from the Veterinary School of Aristotle at the University of Thessaloniki. Although the young bears weighed in at a mere 50kg each, four men were needed to carry the sedated bear cubs through the deep snow to the den. After waking from sedation, the bears briefly explored their new home and returned to hibernation exactly as the Arcturos staff had hoped. They will be tracked by GPS-enabled collars when they wake during Spring.
Commenting, Scientific Director of the Arcturos Bear Rehabilitation Centre Alexandros Karamanlidis said 'This was the first time that Arcturos had rehabilitated bear cubs for release back into the wild”, adding that 'This has been a very innovative project for Greece and a valuable tool for conservation of brown bear populations throughout Europe.'
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