- Title: SLOVENIA: Bear cub takes up residence with Slovenian family
- Date: 3rd June 2011
- Summary: PODVRH, SLOVENIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) WIDE OF VALLEY BEAR CUB, 'MEDO' COMING DOWNSTAIRS TO EAT SNACK CLOSE OF MEDO EATING SNACK FAMILY DOG ASLEEP IN HUT MEDO WALKING TOWARDS CAMERA (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) MAN WHO FOUND BEAR IN HIS GARDEN, MATJAZ LOGAR, SAYING: "One morning when we woke up, we found him together with the dog, they were next to the dog house. First we left him alone, we thought that his mother was close by. We saw that she still hadn't came in the afternoon, so we approached him and saw that he was very emaciated and for the first few days we were not sure whether he would make it." LOGAR PLAYING WITH BEAR LOGAR FAMILY HOME LOGAR AT MOTORBIKE WITH CUB IN BACKGROUND LOGAR FEEDING CUB EGGS BEAR CUB CLIMBING UP ONTO SOFA TO PLAY WITH LOGAR LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF BIOTECHNICAL FACULTY SIGN READING: "BIOTECHNICAL FACULTY, UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA" (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) PROFESSOR AT BIOTECHNICAL FACULTY, UNIVERSITY IN LJUBLJANA, IVAN KOS SAYING: "It is a fact that we cannot let this kind of bear (tame) into our environment because we can endanger the whole population. This kind of bear has lost his safe distance towards a human. So he might approach people, go to their houses and make problems which can bring the whole species into a bad light." PODVRH, SLOVENIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) CUB EATING FROM DOG BOWL (SOUNDBITE) (Slovenian) MAN WHO FOUND BEAR IN HIS GARDEN, MATJAZ LOGAR, SAYING: "We have a plan, we started making a fence for him. The law requires 100 square meters, but we plan to give him 900 square meters in the forest at the top of the hill. So far it does not seem that we will make it, because the state is giving us problems. But in case he has to leave us we would like to see that he will get the appropriate space, not just a little cage. We would like to see that he gets a big space, appropriate for a bear." VARIOUS OF CUB PLAYING WITH GRASSES IN FIELD
- Embargoed: 18th June 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Slovenia, Slovenia
- Country: Slovenia
- Topics: Environment / Natural World,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA4WS4SNFD177UMRRJDVYS0QXV5
- Story Text: In a Goldilocks reversal it was the bear cub, this time, to take up residence in someone else's bed.
The Logar family, who live in the hilly south of Slovenia, woke up one morning to find the little furry intruder tucked in beside the family dog.
"One morning when we woke up, we found him together with the dog, they were next to the dog house. First we left him alone, we thought that his mother was close by. We saw that she still hadn't came in the afternoon, so we approached him and saw that he was very emaciated and for the first few days we were not sure whether he would make it," Matjaz Logar told Reuters TV.
But, survive he did, growing from 3 to 15 kilos in a couple of weeks, and now Medo, as the family have called him, feels right at home. Especially as long as he is the centre attention.
While the family have taken the extra mouth to feed straight to their hearts, biologists insist the wild animal cannot stay roaming the village.
"It is a fact that we cannot let this kind of bear (tame) into our environment because we can endanger the whole population. This kind of bear has lost his safe distance towards a human. So he might approach people, go to their houses and make problems which can bring the whole species into a bad light," Ivan Kos, a professor at the biotechnical faculty in Ljubljana.
But Logar says he is in a better position to look after the cub into adulthood than a state facility.
"We have a plan, we started making a fence for him. The law requires 100 square meters, but we plan to give him 900 square meters in the forest at the top of the hill. So far it does not seem that we will make it, because the state is giving us problems. But in case he has to leave us we would like to see that he will get the appropriate space, not just a little cage. We would like to see that he gets a big space, appropriate for a bear," Logar said.
Fifty kilometres outside Ljubljana, Medo - who takes his name from the Slovenian for bear - is unaware of the custody battle going on around him. Still too small to cause any real damage, even if he wanted to, he is happy lumbering around with his new family.
But the carefree days of childhood may be short-lived. Medo already has his own Facebook page with over 500 fans and is gaining a growing presence in the Slovenian media. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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