"We are heartbroken"

Brown bear “Mitko” killed shortly before being rescued

Brown bear "Mitko" was euthanized shortly before he was rescued in Slovenia.(Bild: Vier Pfoten)

Before being transported to Austria, brown bear "Mitko" was euthanized in Slovenia - to the horror of the animal welfare organization "Vier Pfoten".

"We are shocked, heartbroken and incredibly angry, because the death of our protégé could have been prevented if the authorities had acted more quickly," says "Vier Pfoten" director Eva Rosenberg. The local animal welfare organization had been trying for two years to free "Mitko" from the torturous conditions at the Tourist Farm Abram in Nanos, Slovenia. He was then supposed to live in the Meister Petz sanctuary in Arbesbach in the high Waldviertel region of Lower Austria.

But the animal's heartless owner thwarted all plans by euthanizing dear "Mitko" without further ado - and only because the bear, crammed into a narrow cage, allegedly "felt unwell".

However, it is more likely that the bear tamer wanted to pre-empt an inspection by a new official from the responsible ministry in the capital Ljubljana, as the animal was even facing confiscation following a massive campaign by Austria's bear conservationists.