Published 23rd July 2021
New Family of European brown bears now in new three-acre woodland enclosure at Port Lympne Reserve
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve are excited to announce that their new family of European brown bears, who were recently rescued from a zoo in Andorra, are now exploring their new custom-built three-acre woodland enclosure.
The bears – named Julio, Enciam and Neu, and their young cubs – were transported 800 miles from Naturlandia, Andorra’s only zoo, which was part of an amusement park.
The decision to transfer them to Port Lympne was made following the announcement by Naturlandia’s director, Xabier Ajona, that the Andorran zoo would be closing, as there were limitations on what it was able to achieve from a conservation perspective.
To facilitate the move, Port Lympne Reserve worked in partnership with Bears In Mind, an organisation which works to provide better living conditions for captive bears. Their rescue was possible due to Port Lympne’s generous supporters, who helped raise the funds for the transfer and the custom-built enclosure. Specially designed by the park’s expert team, the spacious, three-acre woodland enclosure includes water features, den areas and plenty of vegetation, allowing the bears to live the most natural life possible. The team are enjoying the process of learning each bear’s unique personality traits as the family familiarise themselves with their new surroundings. They are very curious animals, inspecting and scent-marking their new space, and are always keen on feeding time, with the adults eating up to 40kg a day.
Port Lympne Reserve’s Animal Director, Simon Jeffery, said: “The team worked tirelessly to prepare for this arrival and are delighted to welcome the new bears into their new enclosure. They are being given a new life in a naturalistic habitat which offers them a huge amount of space and environmental enrichment. They are settling in very quickly.”
Port Lympne’s Managing Director, Tony Kelly, added: “The incredible support and generosity of the general public, as well as the hard work of the park team, has allowed us to give these bears the best future possible. We’re hugely grateful to all those who donated to our campaign.”
Visitors can celebrate the bears’ arrival this week by coming to see them in their brand new habitat. Tickets are available to purchase here. They can also support further by adopting one of the bears.
