A bear who was kept as a pet in a small house has been rescued by a Scots zoo.
Byara is moving to the Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder after being found in a property on the outskirts of Murmansk, Northwest Russia.
The nine-month-old bear had been raised and fed by a local man on bread, water and milk.
She was then rescued and temporarily housed by a local animal shelter in Russia called “Society for the Protection of Homeless Animals Priyut”.
The rescue centre hoped Byara could be released into the wild but were unsure of how much time she had spent with humans.
After veterinary inspection it was clear Byara could not be returned to the wild due to the fact she weighed approx 20kg.
It was then decided that it was not favourable for the baby bear to have an independent life in the wild.
Now she will join animals at the Five Sisters Zoo for her permanent home with fellow bear Eso.
It comes after the rescue centre contacted Bears in Mind, before they both worked together to provide Byara with the care she needed.
In late 2019, it was then agreed that Natuurhulpcentrum in Belgium (who we have worked closely with in the past) would take Byara from Russia.
Byara was then temporarily housed in Moscow until all legal documents, veterinary checks and tests were complete however due to COVID 19 many labs were closed therefore this took significantly longer.
In April 2021 Byara arrived at Natuurhulpcentrum in Belgium after a long 3,000KM journey.
Byara will make one final trip to Scotland in the next few weeks and enjoy a large two acre woodland enclosure.
The Five Sisters Zoo said: "In September 2019, Byara was found by local authorities in a house on the outskirts of Murmansk, Northwest Russia. Byara, a young bear cub at the time had lived in a small wooden house and was fed by a local man.
"She was fed on bread, water and sometimes milk. She was then rescued and temporarily housed by a local animal shelter in Russia called “Society for the Protection of Homeless Animals 'Priyut'.
"The rescue centre did study the possibilities of Byara being rehabilitated and released into the wild however they soon realised the chances of a positive return to life in the wild would be very small for the cub as they were unsure of how much time she had spent with humans and at the age of nine months, this is not favourable for making a bear cub ready for an independent life in the wild.
"In the coming weeks, Byara will make one final trip to join us at FSZ in our large two acre woodland enclosure where she will eventually be introduced to Eso!"
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