Vienna, 3 April 2025 – After more than three decades in captivity, the story of Slovenian restaurant bear Felix will finally take a happy turn. On Wednesday, Felix was found to be fit for transport during a visit by a team of FOUR PAWS with a wildlife veterinarian. Despite his advanced age of 34 years, the health of the bear allows for a transport to BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach in Austria. There, the elderly bear will spend the remaining time of his life in species-appropriate conditions. Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS announced that the rescue will take place in the upcoming weeks and started preparations for his transport, including the necessary vaccination, which was already administered to him during the visit. While Felix’s story has a happy ending, bears Mici and Tim continue to suffer in cruel private keeping in Slovenia. FOUR PAWS urges their owners to take urgent action and hand them over to a sanctuary.

Felix: A food-loving grandpa

Felix will be the oldest bear of all FOUR PAWS sanctuaries. Despite his age, he will enjoy a good quality of life in BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach, like 33-year-old female bear Brumca, who is also enjoying her twilight years there. The average life expectancy of brown bears in the wild is 25 years.

“We are very happy to see that Felix is in relatively good shape for his age. He has some age-related conditions, such as degenerative joint disease with obvious stiffness at his hindlegs. Also his sight is impaired. But overall, he is fit for transport. Felix is a lovely, curious and food-oriented grandpa,” says Szilvia Kalogeropoulu, wildlife veterinarian at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, who visually checked on Felix, vaccinated and dewormed him during the visit on Wednesday.

Before the transport in the upcoming weeks, Felix will be checked under anesthesia to learn more about his health status. In his new forever home in BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach, he will receive the special care he needs. Born in 1991, he spent his entire life as a ‘restaurant bear’ in a small concrete enclosure next to a busy road to attract and entertain guests. More than three decades in captivity have taken a toll on him, so it is very likely that some of his health conditions might originate from inappropriate keeping.

Bears Mici and Tim need urgent help

FOUR PAWS has been advocating to rescue the last five bears from cruel private keeping in Slovenia since autumn 2022. Unfortunately, two of them died last year. FOUR PAWS urges the owners of the remaining two bears named Mici and Tim to follow suit and make a responsible decision in the best interest of their animals, like the owner of bear Felix did. When last visited, bear Tim at Zoopark Rozman and bear Mici at a restaurant in Žirovnica both showed severe stereotypical behaviour, like pacing in their enclosure and signs of several health conditions that need treatment.

The FOUR PAWS campaign in Slovenia has received broad public support with around 100,000 people internationally joining the call to rescue the remaining bears from their suffering.

For further information on the bears and to support the FOUR PAWS campaign to rescue bear Tim and bear Mici click here.