Rescued bear Maya meets Himalayan bear Finik
Staff at the Pride Land lion park in the Moscow region have begun the next stage of rehabilitation for Maya, a 20-year-old bear that worked in a traveling circus and was later kept on a chain at a baiting station in Primorye (Primorsky Krai, Russian Far East). She was introduced to a Himalayan bear named Finik, the park«s press service reported.
“Maya was holding on by her last strength. And finally she will no longer be frightened with dogs, but Maya has such terrible memories from her past that she starts trembling and becomes very afraid of any creature that looks like a dog.
We decided to introduce Finik to her — he is a pathologically non-aggressive bear who would never hurt Maya. But Maya had a hysterical fit and Finik decided to quickly retreat,” the statement said.
Park staff believe Maya«s behavior has been shaped by her past life — she defends herself because she has never seen anything good. The bear»s rehabilitation continues.
Maya«s story drew widespread public attention in June of this year. Local residents told journalists on 4 June about the animal, which was kept on a chain in a cramped cage in the village of Innokentyevka in the Lesozavodsky district of Primorye. According to them, the bear lived in unsanitary conditions, constantly shifted from paw to paw and threw herself against the bars of the cage.
After the reports were published, Laika testing expert Alexander Bessonov said the owners kept the animal legally and had all the necessary documents. However, volunteers who visited the site said they found healed wounds and bald patches on Maya, and that she spent most of her time on a chain that was removed only during dog baiting.
Later, staff from the Moscow lion park Pride Land joined the effort to save the bear. When they arrived in Primorye, the cage turned out to be empty — Maya was searched for together with police and Rosprirodnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources). The Ministry of Natural Resources explained that the bear had been acquired many years ago on legal grounds, so it could not be seized solely on the basis of the current ban on keeping wild animals.
On 17 June, volunteers finally managed to find and take Maya. According to them, the rescue operation was extremely difficult, but the animal was given a chance at a new life. Just two days later, the bear was flown to Moscow free of charge on an Aeroflot flight, while specialists from Rosselkhoznadzor (Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance) and Rosprirodnadzor of Primorsky Krai helped process the necessary documents.
