From concrete floors to forested slopes - help us offer Tim a new life at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach!
Thanks to supporters like you, FOUR PAWS is closer than ever to achieving its goal of ending the private and inappropriate keeping of bears in Slovenia. Together, we rescued former restaurant bears Felix and Mici, but our work is not over.
Only one bear remains in inappropriate captivity in Slovenia. The authorities and his owner are blocking his relocation to our sanctuary. Your voice is instrumental in granting him the life he deserves.
Bear Tim is currently on display at Zoo park Rožman. His owner, Mr. Rožmanec, insists that Tim is doing well, but Tim’s body language says otherwise. He is showing severe stereotypic behaviours due to the stress of living in an unstimulating enclosure that is too small to even meet the minimum recommendations for the keeping of brown bears in Europe.
With Tim’s well-being in mind, FOUR PAWS has repeatedly reached out to the authorities and Tim's owner - offering to relocate the bear from his small and unstimulating enclosure measuring a maximum of 150 m² to a natural outdoor enclosure spanning 3,500 m² at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach.
And for a few months in 2025, things were looking up for Tim: Zoo park Rožman was forced to close its doors to visitors, as Mr. Rožmanec had not received a new operating permit. But sadly, this victory was short-lived.
Through a court order, Mr. Rožmanec secured the reopening of the zoo in February 2026. Worse, the Slovenian Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning - responsible for Tim’s welfare - inspected the facility and decided that Tim’s living conditions comply with Slovenian law. The inspection of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, which is responsible for the welfare of bear Tim, is still pending.
As experts in animal welfare, we are stunned by these decisions, as they completely disregard Tim’s undeniable suffering and condemn him to a life unfit for a bear.
Since Tim’s keeping at Zoo park Rožman falls under zoo legislation, our next course of action is clear: the Slovenian standards of zoo practice must be raised immediately - effectively stripping facilities like Zoo park Rožman from any legal basis to operate.
Please raise your voice for Tim and please call on the authorities to draft new keeping regulations for zoos in Slovenia.
Your actions today could change Tim’s life and shield countless animals from inappropriate keeping in the future!