The International Fund For Animal Welfare is a no governmental association which was founded in Canada in 1969, to confront the cruel commercial slaughter of harp and hooded seals. Today it's in the world's leading international animal welfare organization.

IFAW works in France since 1994.

This association conducts campains everywhere in the world to protect animals (seals, dolphins, whales, porpoises, elephants, rhinoceros, monkeys, pets....)

And of course bears ( polar bears, Asian bears, I yet spoke about in this site)
This article will be consecrated to the assistance given by IFAW for the orphans bearcubs.

I have to tell you that this article and the pictures are published with the agreement of the French IFAW association and I thank it for that.


IFAW helps orphan bearcubs

IFAW contribute to the breeding and rehabilitation of orphan bearcubs in order to have the opportunity to release them in protect forests.

This association works to prohibit the slaughter of bears which hibernate in Russia, and which let hundreds of bearcubs wowing to a certain death.In winter, the hunting of brown bears is in fashion among the new Rich and european hunters who want trophies.

Since 1995, IFAW subsidize the professor Valentin PAZHETNOV's works, whom new technics in breeding and rehabilitation of bearcubs are wellknown in the all world.

The professor Pazhetnov, his wife and his son manage the Cub Rehabilitation Center ( OBRC) in the little village of Bubonitsy, 450kms from Moskow.

© IFAW - Cub Rehabilitation Center

The bearcubs come in the OBRC in january or february, weighing 500grammes.

They are bottle-feeded five times a day. Every physical contact is avoided with the bearcubs and only when it's necessary, they are manipulated with gloves. They live in a laboratory during three months and after are took away in a forest close by, in a hut of wood, inside an open air enclosure.

The trainers bring them food when bearcubs are away as to this food is not associated to mankind.

The bearcubs learn to nose about and increase thei autonomy as and when they grow up.

At the age of eight monts , they are released in protect areas and are observed thanks to transmitters and identification sheets on their ears.

© IFAW - Youn brown bear with a sheet on its ear

Thursday, April 10, 2008 : five orphaned bears get a new life in Russia. Satellite tracking will monitor survival.

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© IFAW - Orphan bearcubs in the Rehabilitation Center

In the forest of the Tver region of Russia, researchers of IFAW, veterinarians of the Moscow zoo and Sergey Pazhetnov, returned five orphan bearcubs to the wild.

Prior to release, the team performed veterinary cheeks and tagged the bears for monitoring. One of these bears will be monitored using a satellite collar, a step forward in evaluating post-release behavior and survival of bearcubs orphaned by the cruel winter of Russia.

The satellite technology transmits regular signals from the bear's collar allowing researchers to follow them remotely and download information about their movements and whereabouts via internet updates, three times a week.

© IFAW - Putting of the satellite collar on a bearcub
From the left to the right , veterinarian of the Moscow zoo - John Beecham member of IFAW and Sergey Pazhetnov.

The IFAW OBCR in the Tver region for Russia has succesfully released more than 130 bearcubs over the last 12 years.

The next goal of IFAW is to prevent the adoption of a new hunting rules in Russia, which are now under legislative review of the government.

If adopted, they will allow hunters to kill or collect the cubs as trophies of the hunt legally, and dramatically increase the death rate of brown bears and their cubs in the country.

To know more about the actions of IFAW , connect you in their website : clicking here