'Beirut Bears': Two brown bears rescued from Lebanon head to US

Two Syrian brown bears, named Homer and Ulysses, were rescued from a private zoo in southern Lebanon. The two bears living in a tiny cage in Lebanon will be flown to Chicago, United States. Both the bears, each aged 18 and weighing about 130 kilograms were sedated and then moved into large metal transport crates for their journey to a new life. The two bears were freed after animal rights activists convinced the zoo owner that they deserved a better place to live. 

Bears rescued from Lebanon

The bears were driven to Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport where they will be put on a plane to the United Arab Emirates, according to Associated Press. The bears will be flown to Chicago and then will be driven to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado. Jason Mier, Animals Lebanon, a Beirut-based group director stated that the animals will now be able to enjoy their life in large natural enclosures, according to AP. Mier added that no animal should live in terrible conditions without proper food and veterinary care. 

Four Paws, an international animal welfare organization is also taking part in the relocation of the two bears. Four Paws International was working with Animals Lebanon to rescue the bears since December 2019. The flight from Beirut for Syrian brown bears had been delayed thrice. The first flight was delayed due to the COVID-19 restrictions and then due to the explosion in Beirut in 2020. After multiple attempts, the bears will now be able to fly to the United States. Four Paws has shared a video on YouTube that details the information related to the rescue of the bears. The bears lived in Hanaway village near the southern port city of Tyre. 

Since being shared, the video has garnered 2420 views and several reactions from netizens. Netizens in the comments section praised the people and organisations that helped in the rescue of the animal. One user commented, "Absolutely thoroughly fab news. Bravo everyone… what an exciting time. Thank you everyone."

IMAGE: AP

Inputs from AP