From cages in Dagestan to grass in Donegal: Bu and Tyapa's five-year journey home

It took five years, more than 100 people and a flight routed from Moscow via Abu Dhabi to Dublin — but Bu and Tyapa are home. The two brown bears, rescued from the Republic of Dagestan, arrived in Ireland on August 3 and are settling into Wild Ireland, the sanctuary in Burnfoot, County Donegal, founded by Killian McLaughlin, who first committed to their rescue in 2021 and refused to let two wars and a continent of logistics stop it. Volunteers, lawyers, vets, transport specialists and officials in three countries moved the bears across the world; since arriving, the pair have gained weight, their coats have improved, and follow-up blood tests show their kidney function has returned to normal. BBC News NI, reporting their progress this week, describes animals still adjusting to grass, trees and space — learning, slowly and on their own terms, what a bear's life is supposed to feel like.

SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: community action