Hanako the bear looking forward to a new life at Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Move follows concerns over living conditions

Four brown bears from Japan are being transported to the UK after concerns were raised about their living conditions.  

The bears - Riku, Kai, Amuro and Hanako - are being moved from their current home in Ainu Culture Museum, Hokkaido, to a new home at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster. The project is the result of a successful collaboration between The Japan Animal Welfare Society, Yorkshire Wildlife Park and the Ainu Museum.

“We’re so pleased to be reaching the final stages of this huge rehoming project, which will see four bears moving from Japan to a fantastic new home in Yorkshire,” said Wild Welfare’s projects director, Georgina Groves.

“The Museum recognised they can’t provide for their much-loved bears in the way that they should and that Yorkshire Wildlife Park could give them a much more suitable home. The positive teamwork from everyone involved in this project means these bears have a very happy future ahead of them.”

Yorkshire Wildlife Park is an award-winning 180-acre park that cares for more than 400 animals. Besides its global reputation for the conservation and welfare of endangered wildlife, it is renowned for its care in rehoming animals-in-need.

The bears will begin their 5,000-mile journey from Japan at the beginning of August and will travel with an experienced veterinary team. It was initially thought that the bears could be re-housed at an alternative facility in Japan, but no suitable option could be found.

“Yorkshire Wildlife Park has a great track record and we know they’ll provide the bears with a fantastic new home, where they can receive the rehabilitation, enrichment and lifelong care they need,” Georgina added.

Image (C) Wild Welfare