Bear Balou († 2024)

One of the tallest bears at our sanctuary

7.5.2021

Balou the bear

In 2012, Balou moved to our bear sanctuary. Together with his father Siggi (†), they were rescued from a German zoo in Hellenthal. With his 2,30 metre height, Balou was one of the tallest bears at BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz. He was pretty strong and liked to test his strength against the trees in the forest.

Into the water or would you prefer to stay in the sun? Difficult decision for Balou.

Terrible keeping conditions at Wildgehege Hellenthal

Balou was born in 2002 at Wildgehege Hellenthal in Germany and was held under horrible conditions: No possibility to withdraw, no piece of grassland that he could access. The little bit of vegetation was separated from him with electric fences.

Balou was very close to his father Siggi. Right after his arrival, Balou didn't want to leave the transport box. But because his father did, he followed. Step by step they discovered their new home. Father and son even hibernated together. When Siggi passed away in 2017, it was a hard time for Balou. Our animal caretakers could feel how much Balou missed him.

But with time, he got used to the new situation. He continued roaming the enclosure and enjoyed watching the visitors.

His hobbies: Taking a bath and playing in the woods

Like Baloo from the Jungle Book, our Balou was also a big fan of lakes and ponds. He loved to go for a swim! When he was not playing with sticks and branches in the water, Balou explored his enclosure, looked for hidden treats or relaxed in a comfortable hollow in the woods.

Balou was one of the bears that visitors could most likely see when visiting our sanctuary. Over the last few years, he decided observing the visitors was more interesting than hibernating. He could usually be seen resting in front of his bear house, patrolling the enclosure or inspecting the snowy enrichments our animal caretakers prepared for this smart bear.

In the winter of 2023/2024, we observed longer periods of hibernation in the bear house. Balou hibernated for the first time in several years since the death of his father Siggi. He was not seen outside the bear sanctuary for a whole four weeks. Although the hibernation period was not long, our team was delighted that Balou was slowly following his instincts again during the winter months.

I came from: the German zoo "Wildgehege Hellenthal"
I was: one of the tallest bears at the sanctuary (2.30 m)
What the animal caretakers said about me:
Balou was a pretty strong and creative bear. He loved to bathe in the pond. We often saw him sitting in his favourite spot, quietly watching our visitors. He liked to keep an overview of what was happening in the forest.
Fun story about Balou:
Balou was a pretty smart bear. He loved tricky enrichments. He had very creative problem solving skills and even found a way to open carabiners. More than once did he take apart enrichments that where thoroughly installed in his enclosure so he could hang out with them in his favourite pool.