Bears released into new home after rescue

Two brown bear brothers rescued from a cage near a restaurant in Azerbaijan and brought to the Isle of Wight have finally got to explore their new home.

Benji and Balu arrived at Wildheart Animal Sanctuary in Sandown on 4 June.

Public donations went towards the almost £218,000 raised for their transport and a brand new enclosure for the pair.

The brothers have been kept in a holding pen while they settled on the island but were released on Friday into a new 3,500sqm space in-keeping with their natural environment.

Benji and Balu were released into their new home earlier

About two years ago, they were relocated by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan from a restaurant, where they had been kept to attract customers, to a temporary shelter.

Wildheart Animal Sanctuary started fundraising to rehome the bears having become aware of their situation in May 2024.

What was it like to watch the bears enter their new home?

Benji was the first of the bears to set foot in the new enclosure.

He came through the gate and made his way through the wildflowers into a shaded spot.

He tentatively picked his way through the new space, beneath trees and around the rocks. He cautiously dipped a paw into the stream and paddled into the water, climbing over logs and ducking under them into the pond.

Benji slowly clambered around the shallow edge of the pond, misplacing his footing and inadvertently taking his first swim.

These bears have been in cramped, caged conditions for the best part of 13 years, so seeing him experience water against his fur for the first time in his life is something the animal carers here will never forget.

The new 3,500sqm space is in-keeping with their natural environment