The Lost Bears: How to see Brown Bears in Brașov, Romania

Romania is a land of fairytales, with sweeping dark forests extending for miles into the mountains, dotted with the occasional colourful wooden village. And no creature is more synonymous with Eastern European fairytales than the bear. Unfortunately a victim of its own beauty, for years it would be common to see bears paraded in circuses and forced to do cruel dances, or locked in small cages next to bars and restaurants to attract customers. Luckily these practices have now been outlawed, but there are still many bears throughout Romania who were subject to horrendous suffering for most of their lives. This is where Libearty Bear Sanctuary steps in.

Libearty Bear Sanctuary

Libearty Bear Sanctuary takes in mistreated bears who have been in captivity for too long to be released into the wild. The aim is to give them a happy retirement: the bears are kept in large enclosures with plenty of food, water, trees to climb and pools to swim in. The sanctuary makes very clear that they are not a zoo, and they do not breed from the animals.

What to see

Set in 69 hectares of coniferous forests, Libearty Bear Sanctuary is home to over 100 brown bears. They offer guided tours a couple of times a day (buy tickets online here) where you will be shown around and learn about the bears. You will learn the stories of each individual bear, some of which are absolutely heartbreaking. However, it is important to understand past cruelties so that we do not carry those practices into the future.

Is it ethical?

This is the most important question, and one that you should always ask yourself when visiting anything to do with animals. There are too many places around the world that mistreat animals just to make a quick buck. You can rest assured however that the Libearty Bear Sanctuary is ethical. It is endorsed directly by World Animal Protection and SPCA International.

How to get there

The easiest way to get to the sanctuary is to self-drive or take an Uber from nearby Brașov. The turnoff leading to the sanctuary is on the road between Brașov town and Bran, the village of Dracula’s Castle. (I’d also recommend stopping by the pretty town of Rașnov).

How else can I help?

Libearty Bear Sanctuary offers the opportunity to adopt a bear from 5 euros a month, and the fund go towards feeding and maintaining the bears. This is a great way to help from overseas (and would also make a great Christmas or birthday present for animal-loving friends and family).

Stuck at home? Watch the bears on livestream here.