Two brown bears rescued from cages in Dagestan now roam a forest sanctuary in Donegal after a five-year effort

Two brown bears that spent years in small cages in Dagestan, in Russia's North Caucasus, are now living in a forest sanctuary in County Donegal after a rescue that took five years, RTÉ News reported on 21 October. Bu and Tyapa arrived in Ireland on 3 August and were released from quarantine on 7 September at Wild Ireland in Burnfoot.

A circus bear and a petting-zoo bear

Bu used to perform in a circus. After she was surrendered to the Right to Life Sanctuary in Dagestan, she spent years in a small indoor cage with little water. Tyapa came from a petting zoo and was reportedly being raised for taxidermy. The Dagestan sanctuary could not care for them properly, and the Dutch charity Bears in Mind put Wild Ireland's founder, Killian McLaughlin, in touch.

War, sanctions and a cattle lorry

The original plan was to drive the bears through Ukraine, but Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 made that impossible, and war, sanctions and transport restrictions caused years of delays. A Moscow lawyer planned a route that did not breach trade sanctions. Tiger House, a center near St Petersburg, drove 36 hours to Dagestan to collect the bears and gave them health checks, treatment and quarantine.

The bears were then flown via Abu Dhabi, after the escalation of the war with Iran in late February 2026 disrupted flights in the region. Intradco Global provided transport free of charge, Etihad Cargo offered a reduced price, and the final leg from Dublin to Donegal was by cattle lorry.

“There was kindness and compassion in the middle of so much strife and war.” — Killian McLaughlin, founder of Wild Ireland

Ireland's only living brown bears

Bu and Tyapa are now the only living brown bears in Ireland. Their enclosure at Wild Ireland, which opened seven years ago in a rainforest setting and also cares for wolves, lynx, arctic foxes and reindeer, has woodland, a pond, trees to climb, logs and rocks, and smaller dens to retreat to. “Our job is to give them what they need to feel safe,” McLaughlin said.

A documentary about the rescue by Moondance Productions is expected next year. Other long rescues of captive animals include the two Egyptian vultures rescued from illegal captivity that raised a chick in Prague.