Brown bear cub

Wildlife Trafficking: Albanian Bear Cub Offered for €5,000 Online

After confiscation, orphaned cub 'Dori' now receives specialised care at BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina operated by FOUR PAWS

10.7.2025

Prishtina/Vienna, 10 July 2025 — Illegal wildlife trade is still raging in Eastern Europe, as the story of bear Dori once more shows. The male bear cub was merely a few weeks old, when found by an Albanian animal activist in an online advert, offered for €5,000. After his confiscation in Albania on March 21, he was brought to BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina in Kosovo, operated by the global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS. The specialised team took the orphaned and distressed cub in temporarily and is offering to provide a forever home for the little brown bear.

“Dori’s story is truly heartbreaking and a stark reminder of the suffering caused by wildlife trade. Orphaned when only a few weeks old, he was forever bereft of growing up with his mother and a life in the wild. Since his arrival at BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina in March, Dori has developed into a playful young bear, who loves to climb trees. Our sanctuary has already become his new home and we would love to provide Dori also with a happy, bear-worthy future with us,”

Patricia Tiplea, Rescue Planning and Deployment at FOUR PAWS

As Dori will need lifelong, species appropriate care, FOUR PAWS has already offered a permanent placement for Dori at its sanctuary to the relevant authorities. Unfortunately, a reintroduction to the wild is in Dori’s case no longer possible, as too much time has passed, according to bear rehabilitation experts.

At the beginning, Dori was surrogated and nursed every three hours with special formula milk due to his young age. He has grown into a sturdy four-month-old of 22 kilos and his favourite food are boiled eggs, apples and carrots.

FOUR PAWS warns against 'rescuing' orphaned cubs

The person, who offered Dori online, claimed to allegedly have found him orphaned in the wild in Librazhd municipality, east of Tirana. FOUR PAWS strongly warns against taking matters into one’s own hands, when encountering bear cubs or other wild baby animals, that seem to be abandoned. Instead, local authorities and wildlife experts should be alerted to handle the situation in a safe, legal way that is in the best interest of the animal.

About BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina

BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina, just 20 km from the capital, currently offers a home to 19 rescued bears in a 16-hectare forest. Since 2013, it has provided a safe and species-appropriate home for rescued brown bears, formerly kept in captivity in Kosovo and Albania. Managed by the global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, the sanctuary has become a top destination for both locals and tourists. Visitors can explore nature trails, observe the bears in their natural surroundings, and learn about animal welfare and each bear’s unique story.

Vera Mair PR International Officer

Vera Mair

(she/her)

vera.mair@four-paws.org

+43 (0) 664 409 05 16

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FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org

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