An unexpected guest was recently wandering the village in the Borisovsky region, Belarus. A malnourished bear cub was looking for food, and one farmer came to the rescue. He now has a very unusual pet he never imagined owning.
Too young to be accepted at the zoo and definitely too young to survive in the wild alone, this story might have had a dramatic turn for the cute bear, but the tiny cub found a home on a farm owned by Nikolay Vasilievich Terletsky.
A bear cub came to a village in Borisovsky region looking for food
Image credits: Sergey Plytkevich
Image credits: Sergey Plytkevich
Terletsky, who sheltered the cub, was given two options: either return it to the wild or put it to sleep
Image credits: Sergey Plytkevich
Brown bears are very rare in Belarus and are threatened with extinction, so the species has been listed in the Red Book. Aware of the law, Terletsky has contacted all possible authorities regarding his special situation, but was left with the same answer: either return it to the wild or put it to sleep. Terletsky couldn't let the little bear baby face this tragic fate.
Huntsmen searched nearby forests for two days, but couldn't find any signs of the cub's mother
Image credits: Sergey Plytkevich
The cub was too young to survive on its own, so little Vasilisa legally stayed on the farm
Image credits: Sergey Plytkevich
Huntsmen patrolled nearby forests for two days in hopes of finding any signs of the cub's mother, but without success. The cub didn't have any chance of surviving in the wild without her mother's care and protection, so Terletsky decided to keep her on the farm. Eventually, a committee of competent specialists issued a "passport" for the bear cub, who, by that time, had gotten a name: Vasilisa. Now, the healthy and playful cub will start experiencing the world in a new way—surrounded by the love and care of humans.
Image credits: Sergey Plytkevich
Terletsky plans to build a huge enclosure for Vasilisa with an observation area
Image credits: Sergey Plytkevich
What does the future hold for this orphaned bear cub? The farm, which specializes in fish farming and has created a network of ponds, plans to launch touristic services, and Vasilisa would be a pleasant surprise for visitors. To make this happen, Terletsky wants to build a huge enclosure for the bear with an observation area.
Image credits: Sergey Plytkevich
Nikolay Vasilievich Terletsky and his adorable cub, Vasilisa.