From Russian cages to Irish sanctuary: The five-year rescue journey of Bu and Tyapa

Image source, Wild Ireland press handout

Image caption, Tyapa (left) and Bu (right) were previously kept in small cages in the Republic of Dagestan in Russia

By Mike McBride

BBC News NI

After years in cramped cages, two brown bears are adjusting to their new life following a remarkable rescue mission that spanned multiple countries, was disrupted by two major conflicts and involved more than 100 people.

For Bu and Tyapa, the five-year rescue journey from the Republic of Dagestan in Russia to the Irish countryside was anything but straightforward.

One bear had spent their life forced to perform in a circus, while the other was confined to a cage so small they could not stand upright.

Today, the bears are now adjusting to a totally different world among the trees and grass at Wild Ireland, a sanctuary for rescued animals in County Donegal.

Image caption, Tyapa is slowly settling into her new surroundings in Burnfoot,…