Arosa bear sanctuary

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Arosa Bärenland at the Weisshornbahn middle station

The Arosa Bear Sanctuary is a bear sanctuary near Arosa in Schanfigg in Graubünden . The outdoor enclosure was opened on August 4, 2018 . It is the first bear protection project of the animal welfare organization Vier Pfoten in Switzerland .

That at 2000 m. ü. M. located Bärenland was realized in cooperation with Arosa Tourismus, the municipality of Arosa and the Arosa Bergbahnen .

A maximum of five bears from poor housing conditions will find a species-appropriate new home in Arosa on a total of around 2.8 hectares . Each of the bears has an area of ​​5000 square meters. The facility, which is also used for tourist purposes, is generally open to visitors from June to October. Depending on the snow conditions and the activity of the bears, selective openings are also possible outside this time.

History of origin

The “ Bear Bath” near the former ski jump was planned as the location of the “Arosa Bear Park” in 2010

At the beginning of 2010, the Bern Bear Park was looking for a place for its brown bears Urs and Berna (actually: Ursina and Berna), who were born in December 2009 . The Arosa tourism director Pascal Jenny recognized the potential to stimulate summer tourism in Schanfigg and declared in July 2010 that Arosa wanted to offer the two young bears a new, species-appropriate home. With the so-called Bärenbad on Schafrügg south of the Plessur , a possible location for the new “Arosa Nature Experience and Bear Park” was quickly identified. On October 24, 2010, Pascal Jenny, together with Bernd Schildger, Director of the Bern Bear Park, Jürg Hadorn, specialist in bear enclosures, and Peter Meisser, who knows the place from Arosa, carried out an inspection of the bear pool lasting several hours. The area was considered suitable by the experts, the costs were estimated at 1.5 to 2.5 million francs.

Arosa Tourismus (AT) then put together a project team that included Lorenzo Schmid , Mayor of Arosa, Christian Brunold, Mayor of Arosa, Urs Crotta, forest and nature expert from Chur, and Hansi Schmid , behavioral biologist and animal care manager at Zurich Zoo . In addition, AT said an investment cost contribution of 300,000 francs. The aim of the project management was to realize the Arosa Bear Park within 18 months. However, the community of Arosa refused to make the soil in the bear bath available for the realization of the bear park. The project could not be pursued further for the time being and the two young Bernese bears had to be given to someone else.

The area between the Tschuggen and the Mittlere Hütte, which was found to replace the “Bärenbad”

In 2012, Pascal Jenny was asked by “Vier Pfoten” whether Arosa would be interested in the joint implementation of a new alpine animal welfare center for bears. Together with the Arosa Bergbahnen, the project could be reactivated in a different form and under the new name “Bärenland Arosa”. A location was found east of the middle station of the Weisshornbahn that seemed predestined for a bear enclosure in a tourist environment. The civil parish of Chur, as the landowner, agreed to such use.

The project was advanced under the leadership of the co-project managers Hansi Schmid and Stephan Oetiker and with the support of Carsten Hertwig. On November 27, 2016, the municipality of Arosa passed the corresponding partial revision of the local planning, which the Graubünden government approved on May 17, 2017, with a unanimous resolution of the municipal parliament and 78 percent yes-votes on the part of the residents. On May 24, 2017, the "Arosa Bären" foundation was established to implement the project. The canton of Graubünden classified the Arosa bear sanctuary as a systemically relevant tourist infrastructure and granted a support contribution of 1.2 million francs .

After some delays, construction work began on August 31, 2017. The first resident, brown bear "Napa", moved into quarters on July 4, 2018. The official opening of the facility, now known as “Arosa Bear Sanctuary”, took place after Napa had got used to it on August 4th and 5th, 2018 in the presence of many celebrities and a speech by Federal Councilor Doris Leuthard .

concept

The concept of the Arosa Bear Sanctuary includes animal welfare and tourism elements

Bears in captivity can no longer be released into the wild . They are too used to humans and could cause considerable damage, which would likely result in the animal being shot down. Due to poor housing conditions, many individuals are severely behavioral . The Arosa Bear Sanctuary offers such bears the opportunity to rediscover instincts and their natural behavior.

Although the Arosa Bear Sanctuary also fulfills a tourist function, the direct contact between humans and animals is reduced to a minimum. The bears should have the opportunity to create their own daily routine and, if necessary, to keep a hibernation.

In the Arosa Bear Sanctuary there is no captive breeding of wild animals. The Arosa Bear Sanctuary adopts the concept of the zero breeding strategy from Vier Pfoten and only offers a home to abused bears rescued by the animal welfare society . A bred cub would steal space from an abused bear.

The attachment

View over the Arosa bear sanctuary to the Tschuggen

The variedly structured terrain in the Arlenwald- Tschuggen natural landscape in the middle of the skiing and hiking area of ​​Arosa offers bears an animal-friendly home. The outdoor area, secured with high fences, is divided into two sectors, which make it possible to separate the bears from each other and to smuggle them to another area for feeding. The bears can live out their natural behavior here, bathing, digging, roaming around, climbing and keeping the typical winter rest . The indoor facility, which contains five stables, each with a cave, and several additional enclosures, is located under the visitor platform. Cameras make it possible to observe the bears in the indoor enclosure and in the caves without disturbing them. A veterinary station was also integrated.

The area was taken over under building law. A visitor center was set up to provide information about the work of “Four Paws” and its bear protection projects. Additional productions such as a 600 square meter bear playground or the bear mini golf course on the roof of the neighboring snowcat garage deal with the educational task with regard to brown bears in general and in Switzerland in particular.

The total costs of a good 6.5 million Swiss francs are largely borne by “Four Paws”, the WK Foundation for Animals, the Hans Vontobel Foundation for the Promotion of the Common Good and private patrons. In addition to the significant contribution from the Canton of Graubünden, Arosa Tourismus contributed CHF 300,000 to the setting up of the surroundings of the visitor center. The operation of the facility costs around 320,000 francs annually, which is mainly financed by entrance fees and donations.

The Bears

Brown bear Napa, the first inhabitant of the Arosa bear sanctuary

«Napa», the first inhabitant of the Arosa Bear Land, was born in 2006 as a cross between a brown bear and a polar bear . He toured Serbia with the small circus "Corona". In 2009, a wild animal ban for circuses was enacted in Serbia. The Corona Circus did not know what to do with the bear and locked him up with two other conspecifics in a shabby area in small cages that were outside. For years Napa vegetated in a single cage that was only 6 m² large and too low, where he could neither stand up nor turn around.

"Vier Pfoten" moved him towards the end of 2016 near Subotica , where he spent two more years in a somewhat larger facility in the Palić Zoo . Since he could not stay there longer due to capacity reasons, he was transported to Arosa with the animal ambulance from “Vier Pfoten” at the beginning of July 2018. The animal, which weighs around 280 kilograms, covered the last stretch between Arosa train station and Bärenland in the Weisshornbahn gondola .

Napa settled in well in his new surroundings. After a dental operation and castration performed on site , he quickly developed into a figurehead and advertising medium for the Arosa Bear Country.

Since February 2019, two more brown bears have been living in the Arosa Bear Sanctuary, “Amelia” and “Meimo”. Amelia and Meimo were rescued from a mini zoo in Albania .

maintenance

Napa searches the enclosure for food hidden for him

Napa had developed behavioral disorders during the long years of his imprisonment, which he is now gradually getting rid of under the new living conditions. For this purpose, its new habitat is enriched to promote its natural behavior.

The aim is to create conditions for all animals in the Arosa Bear Sanctuary that are based on their life in the wild. For example, the food is hidden so that the bear spends a large part of its time looking for food like in the wild. In the future, care will be taken to ensure that enough food is available for each bear, so that there is not enough fighting over the food.

Experienced animal keepers and other specialists look after the bears individually so that they can recover from their health problems and stereotypical behaviors. The behavior of the bears is observed and documented.

Although brown bears are solitary animals in the wild, it is planned to partially “socialize” them in the Arosa Bear Sanctuary. Living together in small groups can have a positive effect on their behavior, provided you find the right partner. Under controlled conditions, the proximity of conspecifics can be enriching for the bears.

The enclosure

Entrance to the visitor center

In the 2.8 hectare fenced area there are u. a. three ponds, a stream, bushes, rocks, a small coniferous forest and shelter for the bears. In the near-natural environment, the animals can rediscover their instincts and explore the objects made available for them and spend most of the day looking for food.

Weisshorn middle station visitor center

The Arosa Bear Sanctuary is open daily during the summer season. In the visitor center, those interested can find out more about the past of bears and about the natural behavior of bears. The area is only accessible on the open visitor platform in order to offer the animals enough retreat options.

Others

Railroad cars of the Arosa train in bear country-style

The Rhaetian Railway introduced three specially designed bear country wagons on the Arosa line . Visitors, especially families, can get in the mood for the Arosa bear sanctuary in these themed wagons.

Official ambassadors for the Arosa Bear Sanctuary include Elias Ambühl , Frank Baumann , Monika Fasnacht , Andrea Zogg and David Bittner .

Web links

Commons : Arosa Bear Sanctuary  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Offers from Arosa and France for Urs and Berna. In: http://www.tierwelt.ch . Retrieved November 4, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Arosa is now actively trying to help Urs and Berna. In: http://www.suedostschweiz.ch . September 27, 2010, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Bündner Nachrichten of November 5, 2010, pp. 1 and 5.
  4. ↑ Bündner want to build for the Bernese Bärli soon. In: http://www.bernerzeitung.ch . April 5, 2011, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  5. ↑ When the bear park comes, then only outside of Arosa. In: http://www.suedostschweiz.ch . July 5, 2011, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Arosa Bear Sanctuary one big step further. In: http://www.tierwelt.ch . July 2, 2015, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Southeast Switzerland , September 22, 2016, p. 3.
  8. ↑ Aroser Zeitung , May 26, 2017, p. 5.
  9. ↑ Founding entry of the "Arosa Bären" foundation. In: http://gr.chregister.ch . May 17, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Southeast Switzerland, September 11, 2017, p. 3.
  11. ^ Groundbreaking ceremony for the Arosa Bear Sanctuary. In: http://www.vier-pfoten.ch . August 24, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2018 .
  12. ↑ The Arosa Bear Sanctuary has its first bear. In: http://www.vier-pfoten.ch . Retrieved November 4, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Emotional and long-awaited opening of the Arosa Bear Sanctuary. In: http://www.vier-pfoten.ch . August 3, 2018, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  14. ↑ Arosa Bear Sanctuary. In: http://www.youtube.com . September 21, 2016, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Many will follow Bär Meimo's surgery live from April 12, 2019 on 20min.ch
  16. ↑ Arosa Bärenland: Staging concept for arrival / viewing platform / Weisshorn. In: http://daten.svarosa.ch . September 18, 2017, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  17. ↑ First resident of the Arosa Bear Sanctuary is certain. (No longer available online.) In: http://www.vier-pfoten.ch . Archived from the original on November 4, 2018 ; accessed on November 4, 2018 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vier-pfoten.ch
  18. ^ Former Circus Bear Can't Believe It When He Sees His Sprawling New Home. In: www.youtube.com. September 7, 2018, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Napa-Mania pays off for Arosa. In: www.20min.ch. November 28, 2018, accessed December 8, 2018 .
  20. ↑ Arosa Bear Country: In a special wagon to the bears. In: http://www.rhb.ch . Retrieved November 4, 2018 .
  21. ↑ Another ambassador for the Arosa Bear Sanctuary: Elias Ambühl. (No longer available online.) In: http://www.vier-pfoten.ch . Archived from the original on November 4, 2018 ; accessed on November 4, 2018 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vier-pfoten.ch
  22. ↑ Frank Baumann becomes ambassador for the Arosa Bear Sanctuary. In: http://www.vier-pfoten.ch . July 16, 2018, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  23. ↑ Monika Fasnacht becomes ambassador for the Arosa Bear Sanctuary. In: http://www.vier-pfoten.ch . May 29, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018 .

Coordinates: 46 ° 47 '12.3 "  N , 9 ° 39' 52.3"  E ; CH1903:  769,943  /  184142