As I'm sure most of you have probably read, we had to announce the sad unexpected loss of our beloved male Brown Bear, Henk. He was my best friend, a gentle giant and a firm favourite with anyone who knew him. I wanted to do something meaningful in his memory and so I have decided to raise some money for Bears Albania who were one of the main organisations behind the rescue of Henk and his sister Eso.

We suspect the pair were poached from the wild as cubs after their mother was killed. They then spent several years living in horrendous conditions in a tiny cage outside a roadside restaurant in a remote area of North Albania. Severely malnourished, they were forced to survive off rain water collecting in puddles and cried for food. Thankfully they were eventually rescued in 2017 before arriving with us at Five Sisters Zoo in 2018.

Henk loved nothing more than playing with his sister and exploring his large woodland enclosure. Without the organisations who carried out this rescue, Henk and Eso would never have had the opportunity to be Bears and do the things that Bears do. So if the money raised could make even the slightest difference to other Bears living in similar circumstances then that would make me very happy.

Any donations whatsoever would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.