An animal park near Honiton has launched an appeal to rescue two bear cubs and bring them to the UK before winter.

The Wildwood Trust, who run Wildwood Escot, were approached by wildlife experts, following the discovery of two brown bear cubs in a snowdrift in the mountains of Albania.

Early spring is the time when bear mothers wake from hibernation with their babies, born in the den over winter. But illegal logging and other human disturbances can cause bears to emerge early and in some cases flee their den.

Local wildlife rescuers waited for the mother to return to her cubs, but she was likely too frightened to come back. At only a few weeks old the bear cubs couldn't survive on their own and so they stepped in to save the bears, with the intention of releasing them to the wild at a later stage.

However despite all efforts the cubs have become too attached to humans and can't be returned to the wild.

Wildwood Trust has gained an international reputation for rehabilitating bears, after the rescue of two brown bears from an abandoned hunting facility in Bulgaria in 2014.

Now they want to help 'Mish' and 'Lucy' - as the cubs have been named - as they cannot be returned to the wild and need to find a permanent home before it's too late.

The charity is committed to building a giant bear woodland in the grounds of the East Devon park to provide a home for the bears.

Wildwood Escot General Manager, George Hyde said: "These two orphaned bear cubs were in desperate need. They could not survive if returned to the wild.

"Wildwood Escot can give them a forever home, but we need people to join us to help fund their transport and to build them a unique woodland habitat to thrive in."

A race against time

At the moment the cubs are held in a temporary enclosure in Belgium, but this is not suitable for long term care, as the cubs are in a crucial phase of their lives, where they need lots of enrichment and the chance to develop proper bear behaviour, which is much harder without their mum to teach them.

They need to explore, play and learn to forage naturally. However, due to the coronavirus and the toll it has taken on the Trust, the bears' final home is taking longer to build than expected.

With the bears needing to enter the UK before winter sets in, it's all hands on deck.

George continued: "The longer it takes us to build their home here in East Devon, the bigger they will grow and their need for proper bear facilities will potentially start affecting their mental health.

"Wildwood Escot is asking for donations to help bring Mish and Lucy home and watch them become part of the park at Escot and experience them grow up, living full and enriched lives."

Donations can be made on the campaign website or through the donation hotline on 01227 71211.

Paul Whitfield, Wildwood Trust's Director General said: "The Eurasian brown bear helps tell an important story of British wildlife past.

"These bears can help us educate people about the importance of wildlife and the role bears play in ecosystems."

Read more about the appeal here.