Help for Bears in Croatia
Ministry has broken the agreement to end the illegal keeping of bears in captivity
FOUR PAWS has been active in Croatia since 2014, working to improve the situation of brown bears in captivity. Until autumn 2017, national legislation allowed bears to be kept privately and without an official permit. FOUR PAWS has worked over the past years to eliminate this grey zone and criminalise the keeping of brown bears in an inadequate environment.
A major milestone
Despite the ban and a Memorandum of Understanding with FOUR PAWS which aimed to end the illegal keeping of brown bears, the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture has started to legalize illegal bear keepings in Croatia!
Timeline of our activities and achievements
August 2020
Although FOUR PAWS signed a cooperation agreement with the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture in December 2018 with the aim of ending illegal bear keeping in Croatia, we are unfortunately forced to end this agreement. While FOUR PAWS was able to rescue two bears from illegal keeping last year, Suzana and Bruno, two more bears are still stuck in inappropriate conditions. The brown bears Mrki and Brundo are kept at the Macola restaurant in the village of Korenica as a tourist attraction. Instead of confiscating the bears, as required by the cooperation agreement with FOUR PAWS, the Ministry decided to legalize this facility! We are shocked by this development and see no basis for further cooperation. We of course will not give up and will continue addressing the issue on EU level!
October 2019
Suzana was sucessfully transferred to BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa and is enjoying her new life at the fullest.
July 2019
The team rescued and transferred Suzana and Bruno to Bear Refuge Kuterevo on the western coast of Croatia. While another transfer might prove too exhausting for senior bear Bruno, FOUR PAWS is planning to bring Suzana to BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa.
December 2018
The Croatian Ministry of Agriculture and FOUR PAWS sign a joint declaration of intent with the goal of ending the keeping of bears in Croatia in conditions unsuited to the species.
October 2018
FOUR PAWS conducts a research trip to Croatia in order to document the current situation of bears in captivity.
October 2017
The Croatian government adopts a new animal welfare law that bans the keeping and display of bears outside scientifically managed and officially licensed zoos and wildlife rescue centres from 1 January 2019. (A transitional period until the end of 2018 is set for the affected owners).
May 2015 – October 2017
A lack of amendments on the legislative level stops FOUR PAWS from being able to help more Croatian bears kept in conditions unsuited to the species.
April 2015
FOUR PAWS rescues two brown bears from the run-down Split Zoo and transfers them to the newly built outdoor enclosure at the Bear Refuge Kuterevo.
February 2015
FOUR PAWS is co-organiser of a symposium in Zagreb at which representatives of the responsible ministries and experts discuss further steps to end the keeping of bears in Croatia in conditions unsuited to their species.
September 2014
FOUR PAWS and the Croatian Bear Refuge Kuterevo sign a joint cooperation agreement with the intention of ending the captivity of bears in Croatia in conditions unsuited to their species. FOUR PAWS agrees to fund the construction of an outdoor enclosure at the Bear Refuge Kuterevo.
