Hansel, the feisty gourmet
Hansel, just like almost every other bear cub Utyos rescues and rehabilitates, was orphaned by the hands of legal hunters with government-issued permits. Hunting hybernating bears while they are still in their dens is completely legal in Russia.
Tiny, often still blind cubs, suckling on their mother are usually the “collateral damage”.
In mid March, Hansel and his tiny sister Gretel were brought to one of the rangers by hunters, who claimed that they “found them”. In most cases these very hunters are the ones who previously kill the mother. The rangers usually call Utyos, and Eduard, the centre’s founder, embarcs on yet another journey to save a tiny life. This time, instead of just 1 cub, he got to carry back to the centre two 2-months old scared babies, who were crying for their mother the entire time.