Bear makes miraculous recovery after 30 years of confinement

[Fifi was found severally malnourished and being housed in a tiny metal cage / Youtube]

A bear has finally been given a second chance after being rescued from a small cage she was forced to call home for 30 years.

Fifi is a Syrian brown bear who was never given the opportunity to live a natural existence. For the first 10 years of her life she was forced to perform at a roadside Pennsylvania zoo, but after the crowds went away and the zoo finally closed down, she remained.

Fifi was then kept in a small metal cage, never allowed to leave, with a concrete floor she shared with four other bears.

This habitat was not only far too small for its occupants, but also didn’t allow the animals any opportunity to participate in natural behaviour like hibernation – an activity that is crucial for the health and wellbeing of bears.

Eventually People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was called to the scene to rescue the bears. The Dodo reports that when PETA arrived they found Fifi suffering from severe untreated arthritis in both her rear legs, and also showing traits typical of animals dealing with high levels of stress.

Luckily, it wasn’t too late to try and rehabilitate the bears and they were all shipped off to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado.

[Fifi’s health and mental well-being has completely changed for the better / The Wild Animal Sanctuary]

Now with a proper diet and room to roam free, Fifi has been able to put on the necessary body weight to start hibernating for the first time in over 30 years.

After so many years being mistreated, this once doomed animal can now live out the rest of her natural days happy and care-free.