Bear migrates to Devon

VIDEO: He's sleeping at Wildwood this winter

A brown bear has moved to East Devon after being saved from being put down when his Swedish home closed.

Wildwood Trust, working with Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park, has brought Diego, the sole surviving bear at Sweden's soon-to-close Orsa Predator Park, to its park near Exeter.

He's staying there over the winter before heading to Jimmy’s in Suffolk in the spring.

Jimmy’s Farm was made aware of Diego’s plight when they stepped in to rescue two polar bears from the Swedish zoo. 

Diego’s arrival heralds a lifeline for the brown bear. All three bears, including Diego, were facing certain euthanasia before conservationist Jimmy Doherty put the rescue plans in place. Without an enclosure ready for Diego, Jimmy’s Farm called on Wildwood to help.

Wildwood Trust, renowned for its expertise in rewilding and conserving native wildlife, offered Diego a temporary refuge.

Plans to bring Diego over by ferry were amended in light of Storm Ciaran and instead he made a secure journey by train, through LeShuttle. Orsa Predator Park is due to close imminently to make room for a leisure facility and staff at Orsa have been ordered to euthanise any animals left behind.

Wildwood Trust has gained global recognition for its rehabilitation of brown bears. Its Wildwood Devon site already houses two orphaned brown bears, Lucy and Mish, who narrowly escaped death after being discovered abandoned by their parents in Albania in April 2019. Wildwood Devon's expertise in spacious enclosures allowed them to establish a permanent woodland sanctuary for the pair.

Diego is expected to go into torpor, a natural bear behaviour in which bears sleep deeply for weeks or months with only short periods of activity in between. Wildwood is one of the few wildlife parks in the UK to encourage this natural behaviour, ensuring Diego's well-being and comfort during the winter months.

Diego's journey from Sweden will be featured in an upcoming documentary produced by Jimmy and his team, showcasing the dedicated efforts of Jimmy's Farm to rescue bears from the Orsa Predator Park. The documentary will be airing soon.

The film report here is from BBC Spotlight.