Finally they are here, Amelia and Meimo. Our two newest residents who are keeping Napa company in the Arosa Bear Sanctuary. After days of preparation, the two brown bears arrived in Arosa at around 5pm on Friday 1 February. On Monday, our team travelled to Albania together with FOUR PAWS representatives to make the final preparations for the 2,436km journey through five countries. Arriving in Arosa Bear Sanctuary, they will now have their acclimatisation period in the indoor enclosure, as the outdoor enclosure will be closed until further notice due to the current snow level. We hope that the two new arrivals will also start their winter rest in a few days. In spring they will have access to the extensive outdoor enclosure with ponds, bushes and woods.

The two bears feel very comfortable and have quickly adapted to their new environment. However, the new smells and new impressions in general mean a big change. Amelia made a reserved impression a few days before the transport in Albania. When she arrived in the Arosa Bear Sanctuary, however, she curiously explored the interior and the pleasure of the available straw is great. She quickly discovered one of the two isolated and dry caves for herself and keeps poking nest material into it. Since then Amelia spends her nights there and sleeps. Meimo was more explorative in Albania and, unlike Amelia, was not reticent. But in Arosa he is now conspicuously inactive during the day. Instead he is always out and activ at night. In the beginning he often walked around the edge of the inner enclosure. However, from week to week he seems to become safer and also dares to explore the whole inner enclosure. Meimo often sleeps in front of the box where Amelia sleeps. Both bears have been eating surprisingly little since their arrival in the Arosa Bear Sanctuary. In general, it seems that Amelia has got used to the new environment more quickly than Meimo. They always spend a few hours actively indoors, but also sleep a lot. So you could say that they are in a very run-down state, but do not have a clear winter rest, because they drink water in between and defecate from time to time.