Already a tradition, the management team of Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko visited the Dancing Bears Park in the nearby town of Belitsa on 12th October 2015 with the honourable mission to donate food to the park’s four-footed residents. For a third consecutive year, the hotel donated more than one tonne of fresh grapes, apples and carrots. The visit took place in perfect timing, as the bears are about to start preparing for hibernation and need more nutrition at this time of year. The donated food will be sufficient to feed the 26 rescued bears for up to 3-4 days. The park team returned the gesture with a specially prepared welcome lunch for the hotel managers.
Founded in 2000 by the Four Paws Organisation, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and the Municipality of Belitsa, the Dancing Bears Park is a rehabilitation centre for protection and care of abused bears. The rescued animals have been mistreated and often malnourished by their previous owners who used them to entertain tourists in various resorts throughout the country. At present, 26 bears have found a second chance for life without pain and agony back in their natural habitat. They live in a forested land of 120,000 sqm with access to natural water resources and specially made dens and ponds. The park is built on a natural environment for the brown bear, right in the middle of the Pirin, Rila and Rodopite mountains. The youngest bear is six years old and the oldest one is around 34 years old. All the bears are fed three times a day and have full medical checks every year. Most of them have already adapted, as they dig their own dens and hibernate.
On occasion of the visit, the hotel General Manager Carsten Seubert commented, “Donating food to the Dancing Bears Park in Belitsa has become an integral activity in our annual social responsibility agenda. We are all very excited to be here, as we share the joy of doing a good deed along with promoting animal welfare. I believe that our charity project not only benefits an honourable cause, but also serves as an example that will hopefully inspire others to join our efforts in supporting the local environment and community.”
