Two brown bears, named Bu and Tyapa, arrived in the Republic of Ireland on 3 August 2026 after a rescue operation that lasted five years. More than 100 people participated in the effort to save the animals from the Republic of Dagestan in Russia.
The bears travelled from Moscow via Abu Dhabi to Dublin, following a 36-hour drive to Dagestan undertaken by Dima and Yana Kim in late October 2025. Killian McLaughlin, who first learned of the bears in 2021, stated they were in extremely poor health when first rescued.
Blood tests confirmed the animals had serious kidney problems caused by prolonged dehydration, though follow-up tests show their kidney function has returned to normal. Tyapa previously lived in a cage measuring 2.5m by 2.5m by 2m and lacked a water dish, relying instead on a hose for drinking water.
McLaughlin noted that the bears have gained weight and their coats have improved since arriving at Wild Ireland, a sanctuary that opened in October 2019. Killian McLaughlin said, "These bears have suffered trauma and the first step of that recovery process is get them back out into the forest, get their paws into the soil and on the grass and get them exploring."
Chloe McElhatton, who holds a four-year zoology degree from Queen's University Belfast, has worked at the sanctuary for just over one year. McElhatton described her role as a very unique job and explained that staff have hidden food around the habitats to encourage the bears to forage and become comfortable in the open space.
