Two Rescued Brown Bears Settle Into New Home at Donegal Sanctuary

Two brown bears that spent years in cramped captivity are now getting used to life among the trees and grass of an Irish sanctuary, following a rescue that took five years and was repeatedly disrupted by conflict.

The bears, named Bu and Tyapa, came from the Republic of Dagestan in Russia. They now live at Wild Ireland, a sanctuary for rescued animals in Burnfoot, County Donegal. The site opened in October 2019 and is home to brown bears, monkeys, wolves and lynx.

Wild Ireland founder Killian McLaughlin first heard about the pair in 2021 and committed to bringing them to safety. He said both animals were in very poor health when they were first rescued. Bu had been made to perform in a circus and later kept for years in a small indoor cage. Tyapa had lived in an enclosure measuring 2.5m by 2.5m by 2m, too low for him to stand upright and with no roof, leaving him exposed to harsh winters and fierce summer heat.

McLaughlin said Tyapa had no water dish and depended on a hose for drinking water, and that he was being raised to be killed for an eventual taxidermy display. Both bears were severely malnourished and showed signs of psychological trauma, while blood tests revealed serious kidney problems linked to long-term dehydration.

Getting them out proved difficult. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 ruled out the original transport route through Ukraine, said McLaughlin. A second plan, through the Middle East, was disrupted in February 2026 when the escalating conflict involving Iran closed airspace and interrupted flights across the region.

More than 100 people took part in the operation, including volunteers, lawyers, veterinarians, animal transport specialists, cargo teams and officials in Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Ireland. In late October 2025, Dima and Yana Kim, who work at Tiger House, a sanctuary near St Petersburg for former circus tigers, made a 36-hour drive to Dagestan. The bears had to be cut out of their rusting steel cages, sedated and placed in secure transport crates for the trip back to Tiger House, where they received veterinary care and went through quarantine. After months of preparation and repeated delays, they travelled from Moscow via Abu Dhabi to Dublin, arriving in Ireland in August.

Since then, McLaughlin said, both bears have gained weight and their coats have improved. Follow-up blood tests show their kidney function has returned to normal. Their habitat includes woodland, water and space to explore, along with sheltered areas where they can retreat from public view. "These bears have suffered trauma and the first step of that recovery process is get them back out into the forest, get their paws into the soil and on the grass and get them exploring," he said.

Team member Chloe McElhatton, who studied zoology at Queen's University Belfast and has worked at the sanctuary for just over a year, said staff have hidden food around the habitats to encourage the bears to forage. She said this promotes natural behaviours and helps them feel more comfortable in the open space. "Over time, we've seen their confidence build," she said, adding that changes can be seen both physically and mentally in both animals.

Visitors have also been taking notice. Liam, from France, called the bears "very big and very impressive". Chris Roberts, from Manorcunningham, who has visited since the sanctuary opened in 2019, said he and his family were delighted to see the pair doing so well given their backstory and the conditions in which they were once kept.