FPWC rescues endangered brown bear from appalling cage

The Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), together with interior ministry authorities, rescued a brown bear that was held in unsafe and extremely poor conditions. 

The brown bear, listed as endangered in Armenia, was held in a “narrow, dark cage” at a car repair shop in the Silikyan district, Yerevan. 

The FPWC was notified about the animal by concerned citizens. 

“The animal was found in extremely unfavorable conditions, deprived of professional care, appropriate food and necessary living conditions,” FPWC said in a press release, adding that the bear has been safely moved to the Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Center. People concerned with the fate of the animal had joined forces with the FPWC and interior ministry personnel in the rescue effort. A preliminary examination has revealed several health conditions in the bear that resulted from being kept in poor conditions. 

Furthermore, according to the FPWC, an investigation revealed that the bear had been kept in Malatia-Sebastia district in the past, where a man identified as Vardan Vardanyan continues to keep three other brown bears in “unacceptable conditions,” in a residential area in the vicinity of kindergartens and schools. “These bears are still in poor conditions while the nearby residents continue to be in direct danger,” the organization warned.

“The brown bear is listed as endangered in the Red Book of Armenia, and keeping them illegally or subjecting them to ill-treatment constitutes not only animal cruelty but also a punishable act,” FPWC chief Ruben Khachatryan said.

The rescued bear is now being treated at the Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Center.

FPWC called on law enforcement agencies to take immediate action to rescue the three other bears and hold to account those guilty. 

FPWC called on citizens to contact the organization and report cases of animal cruelty.