At the moment it is unclear whether Laska will be allowed to stay in BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr in the long term – the official court decision is still pending. Since Laska’s previous owner, who is also the owner of the Pokrovsk Zoo, is currently in prison for other crimes, it is unlikely that the court will rule in his favour.
“The legal situation of keeping wild animals privately in Ukraine is absolutely unacceptable. But we are optimistic and expect that Laska will be allowed to stay in the bear sanctuary. So far she has only experienced suffering from her owner,” says Hertwig. has previously taken in bears on a temporary basis. In the end, they were allowed to stay in the bear sanctuaries on a long-term basis.
Update May 2019: So far it was not clear whether Laska would be allowed to stay with us in BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr for the rest of her life. This week a Ukrainian court ruled that Laska and the other rescued animals from Pokrovsky Zoo cannot be returned to their former keeper! We are very relieved and happy because Laska has already settled in well.