Since 2009, Napa – a 20-year-old snow bear – had been living a life of captivity, caged in a concrete enclosure at a zoo in Serbia.
And then, earlier this year, Napa experienced snow for the first time in his life, and (like any of us) fell in love at first sight.
In 2009, Serbia banned the use of wild animals in circuses. And Napa, who up till that time had only known a hard life of being forced to perform for audiences, was shifted to a zoo.
And then he spent 9 years living in an enclosed closure – far away from his natural habitat.
Until the people at Four Paws International stepped into this life, determined to give him a taste of what nature felt like.
And thus started the long journey of transferring Napa from Serbia to Arosa Bear sanctuary, nestled in the valleys of Switzerland.
The sanctuary has been specially set up for rescue bears like Napa.
Four Paws rescuers drove 900 miles by car with Napa and then used a suspended cable car to lift him to the valley.
And it wasn’t just wide areas waiting for Napa, it was, in fact, a ground full of snow.
Napa had a chance to experience his very first snowfall, at the age of 20, and the light dusting of a few inches of snow was like a playground for him.
It was the first snow of the season for Switzerland and the first snow of his life for Napa. And he clearly took to it like a natural.