After spending most of her life trapped in a small cage, Cholita the “real-life Paddington bear” has finally found a wonderful home in the Peruvian jungle!
Before being rescued, Cholita had a tough life. The endangered spectacled bear was stolen from her family when she a baby, and she was kept illegally by a circus in Peru. The circus was very abusive to poor Cholita. She was kept in a cage that measured just 5ft by 5ft. The circus broke off her teeth and cut off her fingers so she was defenseless. She also suffered from severe hair-loss, leaving her almost completely bald.
After ten years with the abusive circus, the Peruvian government rescued Cholita. They placed her in a zoo until they could find a permanent home for her. But because of her appearance, they had trouble finding someone to take her in. Cholita ended up sitting in the zoo for ten years.
Finally, in 2015, the rescue group Animal Defenders International came for the now-elderly bear. They transported her from the zoo to their ADI Spirit of Rescue Freedom Center, a journey that took two days. Along the way, Cholita got to enjoy bowls of fruit, and she got to roll around in thick straw, which she loved.
After a two-day journey, Cholita arrived at the rescue center, where she took her first steps towards freedom.
At the center, a team of veterinarians checked Cholita’s health. She had respiratory problems, poor mobility, and she easily got stressed. After taking baths to ease her joint pain and eating a natural diet for the first time in her life, she started feeling much better.
As Cholita’s health improved, the team at ADI began looking for the perfect permanent home for her. They traveled thousands of miles across Peru until they finally found what they were looking for: the Taricaya Ecological Reserve. This sanctuary is located on the edge of the Tambopata reserve in the Amazon Cloud Forest, which is the natural habitat for spectacled bears.
Workers from ADI, Taricaya, and Projects Abroad built Cholita a beautiful home in this sanctuary that included a bathing pool and cave. In September of 2015, they moved Cholita from the ADI Spirit of Freedom Rescue Center to Taricaya, a journey that took four days. Finally, Cholita arrived at her new home, and she got to see the sights and hear the sounds she hadn’t experienced since she was stolen from the jungle as a baby. She was in heaven.
Cholita absolutely loves her home. She spends her days eating, relaxing, exploring the jungle, and hanging out with the other spectacled bears that have joined her at Taricaya. The sweet elderly bear is having a great retirement.
Cholita has had a rough life, but thanks to Animal Defenders International, she is spending her golden years in a beautiful sanctuary. To learn more about Cholita and see her first steps to freedom, check out the heartwarming video below.
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