B

By Dean Murray

A UK-based animal charity has shown off the remarkable recovery of a rescued bear to mark World Bear Day on Monday, March 23.

Before-and-after pictures highlight the healthy transformation of ex-circus bear Margaretta (Retta).

International Animal Rescue (IAR), based in Sussex, says she spent years confined in a tiny cage, serving as a sad spectacle for visitors at a resort in Armenia.

She now lives in comfort at a wildlife rescue centre in Urtsadzor, Armenia.

IAR said: “Retta’s heartbreaking journey began in captivity, where she suffered for many years of neglect and isolation.

“Her cage, no larger than a concrete closet, became her entire world; with no opportunity to explore, play, or feel the earth’s warmth beneath her paws, Retta’s life was a shadow of what it should have been.

“Retta’s life has been transformed. Thanks to an extraordinary rescue mission by International Animal Rescue (IAR) and its Armenian partners FPWC (Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets), Retta now roams freely.”