The European brown bear is a strictly protected species under The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Berne Convention). Romania ratified the Berne Convention in 1993, but it was not until 2005 that ownership of bears taken from the wild was made illegal in Romania. In 2005, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) joined with AMP to build the Libearty Sanctuary, to put an end, forever, to the practice of keeping bears in illegal and inadequate captive conditions in Romania.

Created in memory of Maya (you can read her story below), today Libearty Sanctuary is home to 55 European brown bears and 1 Asiatic black bear, all of whom have been rescued from a cruel life of abuse in captivity. Recognised by many captive bear specialists as probably the best bear sanctuary in the world, it consists of 69 hectares of lush forests, streams and pools, graciously provided by the City of Zarnesti, located at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains near Brasov, Romania. Most of the bears were rescued from a miserable life in tiny cages providing “entertainment” to restaurants, hotels, factories, petrol stations, circuses, and even monasteries. Several bears also came to the sanctuary after Romania’s EU accession led to the permanent phasing out of some of the worst zoos in the country. Libearty Sanctuary is also proud to host Betsy, a rescued bear from Texas who came to us through the intervention of Houston SPCA (USA).

Each bear has his/her own dramatic story. We hope that you will enjoy meeting them and getting to know them, not only through this website but hopefully you will also come and visit them at the sanctuary. Please note, however, that this sanctuary was created for the bears and that it is not a zoo; visits are by appointment only (see below).The European brown bear is a strictly protected species under The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Berne Convention). Romania ratified the Berne Convention in 1993, but it was not until 2005 that ownership of bears taken from the wild was made illegal in Romania. In 2005, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) joined with AMP to build the Libearty Sanctuary, to put an end, forever, to the practice of keeping bears in illegal and inadequate captive conditions in Romania.

Created in memory of Maya (you can read her story below), today Libearty Sanctuary is home to 55 European brown bears and 1 Asiatic black bear, all of whom have been rescued from a cruel life of abuse in captivity. Recognised by many captive bear specialists as probably the best bear sanctuary in the world, it consists of 69 hectares of lush forests, streams and pools, graciously provided by the City of Zarnesti, located at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains near Brasov, Romania. Most of the bears were rescued from a miserable life in tiny cages providing “entertainment” to restaurants, hotels, factories, petrol stations, circuses, and even monasteries. Several bears also came to the sanctuary after Romania’s EU accession led to the permanent phasing out of some of the worst zoos in the country. Libearty Sanctuary is also proud to host Betsy, a rescued bear from Texas who came to us through the intervention of Houston SPCA (USA).

Each bear has his/her own dramatic story. We hope that you will enjoy meeting them and getting to know them, not only through this website but hopefully you will also come and visit them at the sanctuary. Please note, however, that this sanctuary was created for the bears and that it is not a zoo; visits are by appointment only (see below).