No animal deserves a life in captivity.
They deserve to be in their natural habitat and socialize with their own kind. It’s how they thrive and learn to go about their lives as they should be.
Sadly, many of them end in a cruel fate.
Some animals are poached for their horns or hide, while others are bred in captivity and enslaved by humans for entertainment and tourism.
Their living conditions are far from what their life should have been.
Chada is one of those unfortunate bears bred in captivity.
She once lived in a circus and was kept in a small cage for 20 years.
Her previous owners probably thought she was already too old for their business, so she left her in an empty garage.
Thankfully, concerned people in the area called for help.
Save Wild Foundation rushed to the scene and rescued Chada.
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The foundation’s staff, headed by their zoologist, Marina, brought her to the Wild Rock Bear Shelter.
It is a shelter for bears and wolves in Kyiv, Ukraine, which they rescue from establishments or business that uses animals for entertainment and profiteering.
They provide medical rehabilitation for these animals and their overall well-being, especially by providing living conditions closer to their natural habitat.
Marina recalled how everything seemed new to Chada when they released her in the sanctuary.
It was an emotional moment for everyone, especially when Chada lay on the ground and raised her head to face the sun.
We could only guess, but maybe this was the first time she had ever had a ray of sunshine in her whole life.
However, because of her size, the dear old bear had to stay inside an enclosure.
Chada is an Ursus arctos isabellinus, a Himalayan subspecies of the brown bear often found in Middle Asia.
Her breed is considered endangered, with only several hundred remaining.
Usually, this breed is often 9.19 feet in size and weighs 456.36 pounds, but Chada is only 260 pounds since she lived inside a small cage most of her life.
This means that her socialization with other bears is limited to communicating with them from over her fence.
Also, she cannot play with them because it might hurt her fragile body.
This doesn’t mean that Chada didn’t find her new life fun. She does!
Her enclosure has a vast space to run around, a den and warm box for winter, and a small swimming pool when it gets hot in the summer.
The pool is Chada’s favorite, and she loves spending a lot of time in it!
You can tell she’s enjoying her new environment, especially the pool.
Oh, how Chada loves splashing the water and could spend all day in it if she could!
Despite her age, Chada is still very active.
She loves to run around the grass and walks around her enclosure most of the time.
But she also takes her downtime seriously, getting grumpy at times when the other bears and wolves get too noisy – just like a grandma!
Watch Chada’s rescue story in the video below.
