After years of tireless effort and fundraising, two European brown rescue bears have been rehomed in their new Isle of Wight sanctuary by the sea.
Setting off from Baku airport, Azerbaijan, two days ago, brothers Benji and Balu, have embarked on an epic journey to get to their new home at Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, Sandown.
Their trip saw them fly 3,000 miles, on a six hour flight, to Glasgow airport, where they arrived last night.
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After clearing customs they started the journey south, travelling via road to Portsmouth and on Wightlink to the Island, before arriving at the sanctuary at around 10am this morning.
Each in their own metal transport crates, the bears, believed to be aged 13, were carefully lifted one by one from a van, with the help of a digger, before walking freely into their new dens.
CEO Lawrence Bates, who flew out to Azerbaijan to meet Benji and Balu for the first time on Sunday, told the County Press: "This is about five years in the making when we first had the idea. And we really got the fundraising ramped up last year.
"It's just a culmination of a huge amount of effort from so many different people.
- Read more: To watch their dedicated webcam, head HERE.
"It's really nice to see and to get to this point."
Benji and Balu are the first bears to step foot on the Isle of Wight in 30 years.
Visitors to the sanctuary are welcome to access the new viewing platform from today but the bears may not be visible while they are settling in.
Before venturing out into their outside habitat, staff want to give them the time, space and privacy they need to get comfortable in their new surroundings.
Benji and Balu's new 3,500 square home features grass, trees and places to hibernate, with a varied diet and expert care to aid in their rehabilitation.
As bears like to be up high, there is even a platform, allowing them to see the sea.
There is also a nine foot deep pond, acting like a physiotherapy pool and allowing them to cool down in hot weather.
Water in the pond comes from a state-of-the-art harvesting system, which captures rainwater from the attraction’s cafe roof in large tanks.
It has been made possible thanks to a £200,000 grant from Southern Water.
The firm has also created a SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Scheme) Safari at the sanctuary, which gathers rainwater and uses gravity to create a rainwater curtain, children’s mud kitchen, and wetland plant area at various locations across the site.
Lucie Francis, head of bear section at the sanctuary, said: "It's fantastic and it's so nice to see our dream from the last year come to fruition.
"We're really excited to get to know them, get to know their personalities and see them thrive in their new habitat."
"They've not had the best experience but we're hoping we can turn that around for them and allow them to be real bears", Lucie said.
Since fundraising efforts got underway over a year ago, over £217,000 has been raised for the brothers, smashing the original £150,000 target.
