My date with the bears

 The bear sanctuary in Prishtina  is not only a beautiful place but also has an amazing purpose, by rescuing the animals in need and helping them get better by providing a home , food and comfort.

I , along with some of my friends started this trip on a sunny day.  We arrived at the sanctuary and paid our tickets (2.50€ per person)and went through the gift shop which held merchandise of the bears and the sanctuary, mugs water bottles and so on , they all had a pretty outline of the bear or the pictures of the actual bears which were rescued in 2013 .

Walking the path towards the bears was an unexplainable experience,the rustling of the trees , the enchanting sounds of the birds and the fresh air that filled your lungs in a satisfying way , made this trip truly unforgettable.  I was able to see only 4 out of 20 bears since they were still hibernating but the experience was still very good . I got to see Nala,Anik ,Stivi and Hope .

Nala was one of the smallest of the others but still was extremely cute , seeing her and the others walking around, eating and  laying down basking the warmth of that sunny day ,made me feel very happy and relaxed in way, especially since I knew that they now were safe .It was beautiful to see them in their natural habitat not aware of people looking and admiring them, it made me feel at peace seeing how they were so unfazed by the outside and just enjoying life as it is.It also made me happy to  see how good their conditions were, they had plenty of space to run around , had a pond full of water to drink from and they even had toys so that they could play .

NALA

 

 

, Stivi was way bigger than her and looked even a bit scary since he was older than Nala

. Nala which was staying out of her little wooden house and was eating and walking  around I wondered how Nala felt when she saw us looking at her.Seeing her and the others  safe made me feel happy and grateful in a way for them since the thought of them and others being in worse conditions and even hurt pained me .

Stivi kept hiding from us onlookers ,yet the few times I got to see him and that was still enough to leave me feeling at awe at  his nature with how he looked and moved. Other than the bears I got to see a Lion which left me shocked since I didn’t not  expected it and an array of mountain birds which made this trip even more exciting and fun, everywhere I turned around I had something new to see and was not disappointed in what I saw . I was surprised to see how well maintained the sanctuary was , you could not detect any trash on the ground and everything was organised . Not only did you get to see amazing things but you also felt safe since there were security cameras, wires and guards so you did not have to be afraid , even though the bears were extremely friendly and quiet.

 

STIVI

 

The sanctuary was truly a place where one can find peace and enjoy their time there , not only from the beautiful creatures but the nature around left your speechless, I would recommend everyone to visit it at least once in their life and I will definitely go back.

 

 

Florentina Sadiku