For the first 23 years of her life, brown bear Mici spent her days in an enclosure next to a restaurant in Slovenia. Since 2022, we've hoped to welcome Mici into our care, and we are now grateful that her owner has willingly chosen to entrust her to us. We commend him for making the right decision to give Mici the chance of a better life. We also thank the responsible authorities, who are helping us to end the private keeping of bears in Slovenia.

Now we can celebrate a turning point as we can provide Mici with a fresh start in BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach in Austria. After her rescue, our dedicated sanctuary team will develop a care and treatment plan tailored to her needs and monitor Mici closely to adjust the plan as necessary. In Arbesbach, Mici will have access to a large species-appropriate outdoor enclosure with trees, bushes and a big pool — a place where she can roam, rest, and rediscover what it means to be a bear.

To prepare Mici for her upcoming rescue, our team visited her at the restaurant where she was visually examined and vaccinated by our wildlife veterinarian. It was confirmed that bear Mici is fit for transport to Austria. Mici seems to be in good condition for her age, but does become quite stressed when people approach her enclosure. At BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach, Mici will be living in a forest-like enclosure offering her plenty of space so that she can retreat if she wants to.

Since 2022, FOUR PAWS has been engaged in rescuing the last remaining bears in Slovenia, including Mici. Our assessment of their living conditions revealed that the enclosures failed to meet the standards for species-appropriate bear keeping. In response, we approached the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, the authority responsible for the welfare of captive bears, and offered to work together on a phase-out plan to finally end the private keeping of bears in Slovenia.

With Mici's rescue, we are just one step away from achieving our goal of ending the private keeping of bears in Slovenia once and for all. We are grateful to the authorities who have helped make this possible, and to her former owner for choosing compassion and making the right decision. While bears like Mici and Felix now have a second chance in life, bear Tim continues to live in inadequate conditions. We respectfully urge Tim's owner to take the same compassionate steps and offer him the chance of a better life.