Two brown bears transported from Russia to Irish wildlife sanctuary

Two brown bears named Bu and Tyapa arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Ireland on 4 August 2026, after a journey of around 13,500 kilometres from Russia. The bears flew from Moscow to Dublin with a stop in Abu Dhabi, carried by Etihad Cargo. Their rescue took five years to complete and involved more than 100 people working across several countries. The operation began in 2021, when it became clear that the bears were living in unsuitable conditions in Russia. Organisations in many countries worked together to plan the long and complicated move. The sanctuary where Bu and Tyapa now live is called Wild Ireland.