Ursina and Berna, the two young brown bears considered one of the Swiss capital’s main attractions, will move to a Romanian enclosure, a report says.

"/> Ursina and Berna, the two young brown bears considered one of the Swiss capital’s main attractions, will move to a Romanian enclosure, a report says.

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ROMANIA

Bern bears to move to Romania

Ursina and Berna, the two young brown bears considered one of the Swiss capital’s main attractions, will move to a Romanian enclosure, a report says.

Bern bears to move to Romania

The cubs, born in the BearPark along the banks of the Aare river in 2009, have been looking for a new home for months. Their mother, also hosted in the same park, rejected them as soon as they got old enough to survive on their own, as typical for the species. 

The park said 270 zoos around the world offered a place for the two cubs, including parks in Colombia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, which were rejected for unsuitable climatic conditions, said a report on the Bern local edition of the 20 Minuten newspaper.

The choice fell on a 80-acres bear sanctuary near Zarnesti, 200 kilometres northwest of Bucharest. The reserve is already home to 57 bears, mostly rescued from circuses and other zoos worldwide.

 The Bern BearPark will pay the sanctuary 20,000 francs ($23,600) a year as a contribution for the upkeep of the cubs, the paper said. Their move is planned for the autumn.

Bears have been kept in Bern since 1513. Until 1857 they were in the city itself, then in a bear pit and, from 2009, in the BearPark, close to the historical city center, which continues to host the cubs’ mother and other bears, plays host to thousands of visitors every year.

PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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