Starving Spanish Zoo Bears Rescued After Pic Goes Viral

These two adorable bears left to starve after a Spanish zoo went bust have been rescued by a German animal charity after photos of their plight went viral.

Last month, heartbreaking images of the two bears together with other animals slowly starving in their cages at the Parque Zoologico Prudencio Navarro near the Spanish town of Ayamonte in the province of Huelva, on the Costa de la Luz, were broadcast around the world.

Rescuers rescue the bears from the abandoned Zoo in Spain

Animal charities like The Proyecto Gran Simio (Great Ape Project) teamed up to try to find homes for the animals that included a tiger and four baboons.

But nobody wanted the two elderly brown bears, until the German “Bear Trust” stepped in. 

The head of the trust, Ruediger Schmiedel, said: “We have 12 bears that we want to try to help who are in difficult situations, but for the two bears in Spain it really was a question of life and death.”

He said that if they had been unable to help them now, it would have meant that anything done later would have been too late.

Credit: CEN/ Alternativer Wolf- und Bärenpark Schwarzwald
Bear Doro being unloaded at her new home

So after raising 5000 EUR (4,400 GBP) for the transport costs, they managed to arrange to bring the two bears, Daria and Doro, to the Black Forest in Germany’s south-western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

The organisation said that the bears happily entered the transport cages after being lured in with apples and cucumbers.

Doro was safely delivered to Baerenpark Worbis, an animal sanctuary for rescued bears and wolves where the main aims are animal protection and conservation.

Daria was delivered to another park in the Black Forest. In the parks, the animals are kept in conditions that resemble their natural habitat as much as possible.

Credit: CEN/ Alternativer Wolf- und Bärenpark Schwarzwald
Bear Doro being unloaded at her new home

The Proyecto Gran Simio (Great Ape Project) spokesman Pedro Terrados warned at the time of the dire condition of the animals in the zoo. 

He said that the zoo was in a state of chaotic abandonment, with depressed animals unattended by veterinarians.

He added that there was stagnant water in their enclosures, with a risk of infection if they drank it. He added that most the animals were doing “very badly psychologically.”


To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

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This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Chris more

    Sounds as if the bears were rescued though got an email that said that the animals have been moved to other institutions or will be which is kind of good but how about all the animals and the animals at the inoubaski marine park aquarium get to new homes fast and have those places destroyed as they need to be demolished.

  2. Chris more

    Like to know these animals are in better places and if the old place is going to be torn down

  3. Cheryl Harrington

    I have always felt that they need to make stricter laws where zoo animals have to be monitored and reports kept of their health and living conditions.
    I also think it may be a good idea to not have zoo’s at all…There is just too many reports of abused neglected animals.
    There also needs to be listings of these zoo’s kept by the government.
    So glad these bears were rescued. I hope there are decent homes for them.
    Thats my opinion.
    Thank you

  4. Adrienne Hamlin

    Please be sure to always report a rescue – I could not sleep seeing those terrible photos. Thank you.

  5. LINDA MAE HEWLETT

    I’m sure these animals all suffered some psychological issues after being abandoned & starved. I just hope their lives are peaceful & happy now. Thx 2 all who helped rescue all the animals.

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