Beary Experience

 Many people may not care about bears or the way they live. Some of them do not even know that there is a bear sanctuary in our country. I used to think it was not that important and I did not pay attention to the advertisements I had seen around the city. I can tell you that I am speechless when it comes to describing my experience of how amazing this place was.

 

It was my lucky day as I got to see six beautiful bears that were living happily in the large spaces of the Sanctuary. Each bear had their space, including a” pool' where they could wash up which had a stunning view, a place where they can sleep. The most important one was that food was being provided for them at all times, which made me jealous because these bears were living life.

There were informational boards about each of the bears, the year they were born, the year thet got rescued and what type of fruit they like most. Some bears had Albanian names such as Rina and Hana.

The Sanctuary's large space was not just about the bears themselves. There were plenty of details about birds, turtles, and even a lion that was being fed during the visit and I did not get a chance to see only hear which made me unhappy.

 

 One detail that left me feeling upset was the cage that one of the bears named Kassandra spend 11 years which as you will see below was really small and I cannot imagine the living conditions that were provided for the bear before it got rescued. In the informational board you can read more about how Kassandra was kept illegally by an owner of a restaurant, how it was being fed with leftover food and how  the owner closed the restaurant and abandoned it.  

 

I highly recommend you visit this Sanctuary which is located near the Badovci Lake, you can go there by car, or it will cost you €1 if you take the bus. Aside from just seeing the bears and reading facts about them, you get to smell the fresh air, enjoy the beautiful views and even have coffee while you are there. Also there are other things to do like; taking pictures at a booth so you can cherish the memories, buying merch such as T-Shirts and hoodies with a bear printed logo, cups, baseball hats,keychains different types of tea etc. Keep in mind that before you go in you have to pay for the tickets which cost €2.50 for adults, €1.50 for children 4–14 years and people over 65 years , tickets with a guided tour cost €5 and It’s free for children under the age of 4 and people with special needs. Do not forget to leave a note about your time there.

-Rita Fetahi