The Daily Star Sunday’s combat to free a tormented bear has moved a step nearer after the Romanian authorities was hit with a 178,000-strong petition.
Baloo is poked with sticks and compelled to drink alcohol in order that twisted onlookers can watch him stagger round drunk in his squalid pen at a ski resort within the Eastern European nation.
World Animal Protection delivered hundreds of signatures, together with these of Daily Star Sunday readers, to Romania’s biodiversity minister Dan Stefan Chiru – demanding Baloo is transferred to a bear sanctuary.
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Mr Chiru vowed to work alongside the charity to launch a authorized bid to finish the noble beast’s distress.
Campaign supervisor Sanne Kuijpers stated: “Thanks to 178,000 people signing the petition and supporting the campaign to free Baloo – including Daily Star Sunday readers – World Animal Protection was able to deliver your request to the Romanian secretary of state for biodiversity in Bucharest.”
(Image: Jasper Doest)
Sanne added: “The Romanian government indicated that it agreed Baloo must be freed and they have invited us to work together to build a solid legal case to free Baloo and transfer him to the Libearty Bear Sanctuary in Romania.”
Dutch journalist Floortje Dessing, whose TV present in Holland highlighted his plight as a tragic determine of enjoyable for ghouls, stated: “With all of the unrest on the planet, the discharge of 1 bear could seem unimportant, however Baloo symbolises rather more.
“Baloo, to me, embodies the carelessness with which we treat animals. The bear is there, useless, abandoned in a cage because someone wants to own him.
“That so many people worldwide say this is not acceptable is heart-warming. After this clear statement, the Romanian government can’t ignore us anymore and it’s time for action.”
(Image: Libearty Bear Sanctuary)
World Animal Protection stated: “Baloo was found as a cub in the Romanian forests. He was taken by forest rangers for care and later came into private ownership.
“There, he has been alone, trapped in a cramped cage for over 20 years, being fed cornflakes, soda and sometimes even alcohol.
“He has little space to hide and children taunt him with sticks through the bars.”
It added: “Globally, up to 500,000 wild animals are kept in captivity for human entertainment.
“Many are taken away from their mothers at a very young age – often trained to perform tricks and kept in dire conditions.”