We thought it was time to share the news that Mish and Lucy are not just the owners of Escot House and Estate, but are also a pair of rescued orphaned bear cubs!
After being found abandoned in the wilderness in Albania at only a few weeks old, the cubs were rescued from certain death by the team at Albanian Wildlife Rescue when their mother did not return to them. She had most likely fled the disturbance of illegal loggers or poachers; the cubs were too young to survive on their own and sadly could not be returned to the wild.
Their story is not uncommon. As wildlife struggles not only in the UK but all around Europe due to habitat loss, climate change and many other factors, Mish and Lucy were extremely lucky to be discovered and rescued just in time.
Earlier in the summer, Mish and Lucy made the trip from their temporary home in Belgium to Wildwood in Kent to be cared for by Wildwood’s world-renowned team of bear rehabilitation experts. Their new home has been specially created to offer them plenty of opportunities to explore, play and forage under the watchful eye of Wildwood’s expert animal team, all behaviours they would have learned in the wild.
The excting news for us here in Devon is that they will move to Wildwood Escot in 2021. We can’t wait!
Vital funds are still needed to build their new forever home at Escot. Wildwood has launched a crowdfunding campaign in the hopes that the public will play a role in giving the best possible future. If you can, please do make a donation here.
NB Many people still get confused about the difference between Escot House and Estate, and Wildwood Escot. While we did originally set up the attraction, we handed it over to wildlife conservation charity Wildwood Trust in 2015. We fully support their aims and we are very honoured to have the two bear cubs named after us!
