A Rescue Group Gives a Mistreated Circus Bear a New Lease on Life

Alone and trapped in a cramped cage at a Serbian circus, Napa, the bear’s life had been unfair. Though born in a zoo with some room to roam, he was sold and landed in a circus. 

By all accounts, Napa is a wild bear whose natural state is to roam free. But Napa has never known true freedom. Instead, he has spent his entire life in various enclosures, confined to a lifestyle hardly befitting one of nature’s largest and most remarkable creatures. 

Napa left the zoo at a young age when he was sold to the Serbian circus Corona. Any semblance of freedom he experienced at the zoo was over and likely soon forgotten by the young bear. His home was now merely a tiny cage, and his life was the property of a circus.

We cannot begin to understand the life of circus animals, and certainly not for particularly large and intelligent animals like Napa. In 2009, the Serbian government put in place a ban on wild animals performing in circus acts.

To Napa, little had changed. Although he was no longer subjected to performing in front of audiences, he still remained in his cage, more confined than ever. The poor bear must have assumed this was to be his life forever.

The organization involved was the FOUR PAWS foundation. FOUR PAWS is an acclaimed international animal welfare organization that boasts the noble mission of finding “sustainable solutions for wild animals in need.” Napa fit their target to a tee.

FOUR PAWS believed the logical step was to take legal action on Napa’s behalf. The organization sought legal representation and pleaded the bear’s case to numerous local officials, to no avail. Everyone they spoke with claimed they were unable to assist in Napa’s fight for freedom.

Napa toiled away in his caged prison at the circus as the years passed. But in October 2016, after lengthy legal woes, FOUR PAWS, along with local officials, emerged victorious in their battle to get Napa out of his cage. Napa was set to be released from the Corona circus grounds.

The Palic zoo served as Napa’s home for two years before FOUR PAWS was able to secure the perfect and permanent place for Napa to live out his days. The organization didn’t wish to have Napa bouncing from place to place all his life, so they were very particular with their research and subsequent decision. 

Napa’s final destination was to be the newly founded Arosa Bear Foundation in Switzerland. Of course, the distance was the biggest obstacle. This mega bear sanctuary was built with the mission to rehabilitate and release bears into the “wild.” 

The completion of the Arosa Bear Foundation had been much anticipated since the project was first proposed in 2010. It took until 2018 for the sanctuary to be completed, and Napa was to be the first resident of this bear oasis!  

Putting Napa on a plane would be a logistical nightmare and was out of the question. Instead, he was to make his trip by road. With the assistance of an experienced veterinarian, Napa was carefully sedated and loaded into his transport vehicle. The first half of his journey would be spent in a van, while the second half would include a cable car to the sanctuary. 

A lot was done along the way to ensure Napa had a safe and comfortable journey from Serbia to Switzerland. He had round-the-clock vet care, and this gentle giant got his first taste of air-conditioning during his ride!

Aside from organizing his roadway transportation, the most pressing obstacle was lifting Napa’s crate. The crate was massive, weighing in at 1,200 pounds, and it needed to be transferred from the van to the cable car that would lead up to the bear sanctuary.

Napa, the bear, was finally home. He arrived at the bear sanctuary on July 4th, 2018–a significant date regarding freedom. As American citizens celebrated their July 4th Independence Day, Napa celebrated his independence from a lifetime of oppressive captivity.

Napa was living large during his period of adjustment inside the adaptation enclosure. After all, he deserved it! Napa received all the doting attention a bear could hope to have. His food consisted of meat, fruits, and vegetables–a balanced diet to help him regain his strength.

When the staff at Arosa felt Napa had fully adjusted, they began to organize his release into the sanctuary’s primary enclosure. When the time came, it was undoubtedly a big moment for Napa. He stood in the holding area, eager and curious about his surroundings. In the distance stood the Arosa Mountains–his new home.

The sanctuary site was lush and majestic in the eyes of a bear. Set on roughly an acre of land; the area boasted mountains, forests, and ponds for Napa to explore. This was bear heaven, so to say.

Napa had the unique privilege of being able to mull about the vast sanctuary in solitude for a few weeks before the Arosa Bear Sanctuary officially opened. Though he wasn’t alone for long, it was another important adjustment period, as he had been alone all his life and needed to settle into his environment independently. 

Since its inception, the Arosa Bear Sanctuary has welcomed many bears into its arms. It is known the world over as a safe haven for mistreated bears. They have even opened their doors to the public by organizing tours of the grounds along with educational resources regarding the sanctuary’s resident bears and their backgrounds.

Though life in the sanctuary doesn’t technically mean Napa is a bear in the wild now, it’s still safe to say this bear is a “natural at nature.” He is now a social, strong, and confident bear. He has come so far from the Napa who lived for years caged and almost forgotten at a circus.