BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina was established to create a safe haven for the so-called ‘restaurant bears’ in Kosovo that were kept in tiny dilapidated cages next to restaurants for the purpose of attracting customers. FOUR PAWS have rescued all these bears, and thus, ended this cruel form of brown bear abuse in the country for good. Besides, also restaurant bears from Albania found a new, species-appropriate home at the sanctuary.

At the sanctuary, the bears have the opportunity to finally display natural behaviours in a lifelong home while still getting the necessary professional care. The large enclosures provide enough space for the animals to roam freely as well as to withdraw, and all have trees and/or wooden structures to climb on and ponds to bathe in. The sanctuaries also allow the bears to hibernate in winter, which is part of their natural annual cycle of activity.

Visitors can come to the sanctuary and are welcome to join one of the guided tours by our experts. These provide additional information about the rescued brown bears as well as the work of FOUR PAWS on animal welfare and environmental protection. Dogs are very welcome at BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina as long as they are kept on a leash. You can find out more about visiting here.

Our educational children and youth programme gives young people an insight into animals, nature and the environment. Our special hands-on educational model the "Forest School" involves presentations, quizzes, workshops, crafts, sports and more.