After spending two decades in captivity a senior bear, from a circus is overjoyed to finally experience freedom.
Chada the bear who was abandoned by her owner has found solace in a bear sanctuary after enduring years of exploitation in the circus industry.
Since Chada was still young, she was forced to perform and traveled across countries as part of the circus troupe. Sadly she was later sold to an individual who used her for traveling circus shows.
Eventually Chada was left abandoned in an deteriorating enclosure located in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. After seven years of confinement she was fortunately rescued by activists from Save Wild Foundation/White Rock Bear Shelter.
The Ukrainian wildlife sanctuary specializes in rescuing bears and wolves from circuses and roadside attractions. They welcomed Chada back to their shelter with arms so that she could spend her remaining days in peace and tranquility. When they initially took charge of this 25 year bears well being they discovered she had vision impairment almost no teeth left and was physically weak.
When Chada finally stepped into her enclosure after being released from captivity it became an emotional moment, for both her and the rescuers. According to Save Wild Foundation reports it marked the time that this former circus bear had ever walked on grass or enjoyed playing in water.
Chada has been keeping herself busy exploring her surroundings. She now finds joy in splashing in the water taking naps on the grass and even giving a friendly scolding to her fellow rescued wolves and bears when they get a little too rowdy.
Chada is actually a subspecies of bear called Tien Shan (Himalayan) bear. Unfortunately they are endangered. These bears are listed on the list of endangered species. There are only a few thousand left in the wild. Chada herself is even smaller, than usual due to being confined in a cage for some time which hindered her growth.
Ever since she arrived at the White Rock Bear Shelter back in 2019 Chada has been enjoying activities like resting, swimming and going for walks. Recently a video of her waking up from a nap went viral on media. Her rescuer shared this moment on Instagram with the caption; "This is how we start our week! Good morning everyone. On Mondays we can all be like Chada."
Save Wild also featured Chada in one of their rescue videos where they discussed more about this Himalayan bears habitat. They explained how these bears typically reside at elevations of up to 6,000 meters above sea level (thats as tall, as Everest base camp!). Enough they also mentioned that these bears have often been associated with legends of yetis.
In their words; "Chada faced challenges throughout existence but remained resilient as ever."Her vibrant personality and zest, for life made her the heart and soul of our bear family.
