Napa's life has changed, like night and day.
Here, he can do what he wants.
He can go to a pond, because he loves to swim.
He can eat tomatoes, because he loves tomatoes.
At the Arosa Bear Sanctuary, he is just free.
Napa was born in a zoo in Serbia in 2006.
He's a brown bear-polar bear mix.
They sold him to a circus,
where he was forced to perform tricks
until in 2009, a ban of wild animals
in circuses was passed.
The circus was not willing
to hand over the bear and for Napa, this meant
that he was stuck in this tiny cage
for the next eight years.
Four Paws is all about rescuing animals,
and we make sure that they have lifelong care afterwards.
Napa was definitely high on our priority
to get rescued.
In 2016, together with the Serbian authorities,
we were finally able to enforce the confiscation of Napa.
Napa's health situation was not good
when we rescued him. Several of his teeth were broke
from biting on the cage bars, but also because of the
improper food he gets.
His cage had never been cleaned.
From the circus, we could bring him
to a zoo in the northern part of Serbia.
This is a place that really takes care
of the animals. But he had a very, very small
concrete-covered surface. We knew that this is not
his forever home.
Unfortunately, it is not possible
to release bears into the wild
that have already lived in captivity for several years.
Four Paws was working to establish a sanctuary.
The Arosa Bear Sanctuary is situated
in the nice mountains in the east of Switzerland,
and yeah. We decided that he could be the first resident
of Arosa Bear Sanctuary.
- When I saw Napa the first time,
I was just surprised about his size.
This massive animal that was just
But I think he feels that something
crazy is going on. When we arrived here in Arosa,
the next thing was that we had to bring him to the gondola.
Because we could not drive up here.
And when we arrived here, Napa was very tired and happy.
It was important for Napa
that he first stay in the inside enclosure,
to get the feeling for this new place.
- We think that he had a kind of understanding
that something in his life really, crucially changed.
Because only a few hours after his arrival,
he was already playing.
And what is quite good of his character
is that he's a very curious guy. So he accepts everything new
in a very appreciating manner.
A dental treatment was performed
where six of his broken teeth needed to be taken out.
We are very happy now that finally
he's able to eat without pain.
And after, the animal caretakers
could observe that he also wanted to go outside.
And this was a very important signal
for his release.
Napa's first step outside
wasn't in fact a step.
It was as if he gathered all his bravery
and did a big jump.
After that, he quite curiously
explored his new environment.
In the first weeks in his new
outdoor enclosure, Napa slowly discovered everything.
He learned how to look for food, and how to roam around.
How to dig.
Everything what bears in the wilderness
usually do, he was learning step by step.
- He wants to try everything which is around.
When the first time snow was coming,
he was lying in the snow, rubbing in the snow.
And this is for sure exciting for a bear.
- We were very happy to observe
that for the first time in his life,
he actually went into hibernation.
And he just behaved like a normal bear in nature.
We have three bears currently in Arosa.
Napa, Amelia, and Meimo.
Amelia and Meimo arrived from a very, very small zoo
behind a restaurant in Albania.
We are not aware whether Napa
had any company at any point in his previous life.
So it could easily be that when he
had the opportunity to meet Amelia,
that was the first time, actually,
that he met another bear.
We often see them strolling around together,
and also playing in the waters.
Napa is, in a way, the leader
in the Arosa Bear Sanctuary.
- To finally see Napa here
in his new environment, and how well he developed
at the bear sanctuary,
and how much he appreciates his new freedom,
then you can really say that it was worth
every fight. Napa is totally changed.
He can now really live as a bear.
He has his freedom. He can enjoy nature.
And that's what we are all about.
To support and help animals who deserve another life.
A better life.