The Prishtina Bear Forest in Novo Sellë (under the patronage of ‘Four Paws’) offers bears from poor conditions a species-appropriate home. For many years, there were no regulations for keeping brown bears in Kosovo, and all privately kept animals vegetated in small cages at restaurants to attract visitors. This has been prohibited since 2008, and in 2010 private ownership was stopped in Kosovo. The Bear Sanctuary has been in existence since 2013 and is financed by donations and government grants. Around two dozen bears aged between 2 and 25 now live here; in the wild, these animals can live for up to 45 years.

Sixteen employees, including seven carers, lovingly look after the cuddly creatures on 16 hectares of land. Extensive expansion work began in 2016, and illegally kept bears still turn up, with many of the poor animals finding a new home here, especially from neighbouring Albania. While the traumatised creatures were kept alive there with only a little bread or scraps, here at the sanctuary they are fed food worth €3,540 per bear per year. Of this, almost €2,000 is spent on fruit alone, with the rest going on vegetables, meat, dog pellets, nuts and honey.

The unworthy keeping of bears in private accommodation is accompanied by a continuous decline in the brown bear population. It is estimated that only about 200 animals currently live in the wild in Albania and Kosovo. The decline in population is due to the ongoing destruction of their habitat, poaching and hunting.

The sanctuary now has a very informative website: www.bearsanctuary-prishtina.org/. The opening hours and current admission price of €3 are also listed there. There is also a small restaurant and a souvenir shop.