These twin brown bear cubs, born after their mother was saved from war-torn Ukraine, have found their forever home in East Devon.
Bears Malenky and Nanuq were born in Belgium after their mother was rescued from the frontline, smuggled to safety in the back of a van away from the battlefield, gunfire and bombing.
The bear cubs, now two-years-old, were born at De Zonnegloed Wild Animal Sanctuary in Belgium, and this week arrived at Wildwood Devon, near Ottery St Mary, where they have the space to live out the rest of their lives.
The animal sanctuary said the bears’ arrival ‘marked a powerful new chapter in their extraordinary journey of survival’.
But Wildwood Devon needs to raise £75,000 to help care for the bears in East Devon, and has an online funding page set up for donations.
Nanuq and Malenky getting ready to take a first look at their new home.
Photo: Harding-Lee Media/Wildwood Trust.
Nanuq and Malenky found their forever home in East Devon.
Photo: Harding-Lee Media/Wildwood Trust.
One of the bears in the pool in their new enclosure.
Photo: Harding-Lee Media/Wildwood Trust.
Mark Habben, Wildwod Trust director of zoo operations, said: “Our colleagues in Belgium did an incredible job caring for Malenky and Nanuq, but with six bears already in their care, they simply didn’t have the space or resources to give these young cubs the future they deserve.
“We’re thrilled to welcome them to Wildwood, where we can provide them with a safe, enriched environment to thrive under the watch of our expert keepers.
“ Over the coming weeks our team will set to work helping the pair settle. We’re incredible excited for our members and visitors to meet the newest members of the Wildwood family in the coming days.”
Nanuq and Malenky in their new enclosure.
Photo: Harding-Lee Media/Wildwood Trust.
The bears have been busy exploring their new home.
Photo: Harding-Lee Media/Wildwood Trust.
With the arrival of Malenky and Nanuq, Wildwood has now rescued eight brown bears, and the animal sanctuary hopes to offer further help.
Paul Whitfield, Wildwood Trust director general, said: “We want to help more bears like Malenky and Nanuq, but we can only do it with the public’s support. Every rescued bear needs food, shelter, medical care, and enrichment.
“We spend around £70,000 a year caring for each rescued bear, which is why fundraising is essential to everything we do.
“All the bears at Wildwood have come from unimaginable hardship. Malenky and Nanuq represent not just survival, but the growing threat to wildlife around the world. Their story reminds us why rescue work matters – and why we must act.”
The bears in their new enclosure.
Photo: Harding-Lee Media/Wildwood Trust.
Nanuq and Malenky’s mum was rescued from front-line war-hit Ukraine.
Photo: Harding-Lee Media/Wildwood Trust.
Twin bears Malenky and Nanuq were born safely after their mother was rescued from ‘unimaginable circumstances’ on the frontline in Ukraine.
The adult bear was trapped in northern Ukraine by advancing troops and weeks of bombing, and only saved after the fighting moved away.
Only then could rescue teams get to her, smuggling the bear away in the back of a van to Poland, crossing the border with thousands of refugees fleeing the war-torn country.
Most emergency animal shelters filled up fast, so the brown bear was moved between different zoos before finding sanctuary and safety in Belgium, where ‘against all odds’ she gave birth to twins.
A Wildwod Devon spokeswoman said: “The two-year-old siblings, Malenky and Nanuq, were born in Belgium after their mother was rescued from the frontline in Ukraine, smuggled out in the back of a van to escape the shelling.
“Their arrival at Wildwood Trust’s Devon park is a heart-warming milestone in a journey that’s seen them cross borders to finally find their “forever home”.
“This week, after a long journey from De Zonnegloed Wild Animal Sanctuary in Belgium, the cubs arrived at their new home in Ottery St Mary in the early hours of Tuesday morning [May 27].”
Malenky and Nanuq will share their new home with another set of rescued siblings, brown bears Mish and Lucy, who were saved from certain death in Albania and brought to the park at Escot, in East Devon, in 2021.
- See here for more information on the bear cubs Malenky and Nanuq, and how to donate.
