Airport Helps Two Brown Bears Reach Sanctuary

Benji and Balu landed at Prestwick on their way from Azerbaijan to a new home in the UK

European brown bears, Benji and Balu, touched down at Glasgow Prestwick Airport last night on board a Cargolux operated free of charge flight as they start the last leg of their journey to the Wildheart Sanctuary on the Isle of Wight.

These two European Brown Bears, who are brothers, have been living in a small cage in Azerbaijan where there just wasn’t the resources or space to care for them fully, despite best efforts. The Wildheart has, over the last year, worked tirelessly with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, Four Paws and Bears in Mind to transport them to their forever home, a purpose-built 3,500m2 enclosure on the Isle of Wight.

A veterinary team inspected the bears for signs of good health prior to their departure from Baku airport in Azerbaijan.

“It is a great honour to play our part in making sure Benji and Balu arrive at their future home safely,” said Ian Forgie, CEO, Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

“We are one of only three Border Inspection Posts in the UK, that are commonly used for transporting live animals and we are glad that our airport is able to accommodate Benji and Balu’s arrival in Scotland.”

The transportation of live animals is a complex operation, to ensure the animal experiences minimal distress during transport, operators must remain attentive and extra precautions are taken to guarantee a secure and safe journey.

“We are incredibly grateful to Glasgow Prestwick airport and Cargolux for being part of the rescue mission. The overall travel time to the Sanctuary was a key consideration in this rescue, so being able to fly the bears directly into a UK airport from Baku has meant that we could significantly reduce their time in transit, without which this rescue would have been infinitely more complex,” said Lawrence Bates, CEO, Wildheart Animal Sanctuary.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport is a well-known destination for freighter aircraft and cargo in the UK, and works closely with final mile providers as well as other partners to facilitate UK imports and exports via air logistics.

If you would like to donate to the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary and help them reach their £255,000 target you can do so here.