Bear Cubs Enjoy Farewell Party In Kent Before Heading To New Devon Home

This spring, two rescued brown bear cubs, Mish and Lucy, will head off on an adventure from Wildwood Trust in Kent to their forever home in Devon and keepers couldn’t resist giving them gifts stuffed with their favourite treats ahead of the move.

The cubs were rescued in Albania two years ago and have been in the care of British wildlife conservation charity, Wildwood Trust, since August last year. Their new Devon home at the Trust’s sister site, Escot, is a 1.5 acre custom-built woodland where they can forage, play, explore and use all their natural bear instincts and behaviours.

“Mish and Lucy have become firm favourites here at Wildwood and while we will all no doubt miss them, we’re so excited for them to head down to our sister site to their forever home. After a tough start in life we’re delighted to be able to offer the cubs a fresh start. We’ve been building their new home since they arrived with us last year, it’s so exciting to see it come together and filled to the brim with fantastic features for Mish and Lucy to enjoy.” Explained Paul Whitfield, Director General at Wildwood Trust.
Farewell presents from keepers

Credit: Julie Bayer, Wildwood Trust/Newsflash
Credit: Julie Bayer, Wildwood Trust/Newsflash
The two rescued brown bear cubs, Mish and Lucy, playing with their gifts given to them by their keepers, before they head off on an adventure from Wildwood Trust in Kent to their forever home in Devon

While the cubs won’t be moving for some weeks yet, keepers who have cared for them since August last year couldn’t resist throwing a little farewell party with enrichment presents stuffed with the cubs favourite treats including apples and sweet potatoes.

Wildwood bear keeper, Jon Forde, explains; “Although we will miss their cheeky personalities, we couldn’t be happier that Mish and Lucy are moving to their fantastic new home in Devon. Luckily we still have Fluff and Scruff, our wonderful adult bears, here at Kent and the two of them have just ventured out into their woodland enclosure after their winter slumber for the summer season which is always exciting.”

The Trust has an expert reputation for rescuing and rehabilitating bears, following the rescue of two brown bears Fluff and Scruff from a hunting facility in Bulgaria in 2014.

Visitors can see Mish and Lucy every day from April 12 until they leave for Devon later this Spring. The Trust has the Visit England ‘Good to Go’ seal of approval highlighting covid-safe places to visit and has been praised by visitors for its easy-to-follow and sensible covid security features.

Credit: Julie Bayer, Wildwood Trust/Newsflash

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Story By: James KingSub-EditorJoe Golder, Agency: Newsflash

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