A young bear cub, whose dramatic rescue in Russia’s Far East captured hearts last year, has died under sudden and tragic circumstances at a wildlife sanctuary near Moscow. The cub, named Yezhevika, which translates to Blackberry, was living at the “Land of Pride” park, where staff suspect she may have been accidentally poisoned.
Yezhevika’s life began with a profound tragedy. Last year, on the remote Kamchatka Peninsula, a region renowned for its dense bear population, she was orphaned when her mother was killed by an aggressive adult male bear while defending her. In a rare and dangerous intervention, people who witnessed the brutal attack managed to save the young cub’s life from what seemed a certain death.
Following her harrowing rescue, Yezhevika was relocated thousands of kilometers to the “Land of Pride” park, a sanctuary intended to be her permanent home. She joined a small community of other rescued bears from Kamchatka, including a cub named Potapych and another named Manya, who had arrived in January. Her new life represented a beacon of hope for wildlife conservation efforts in the region.
According to park officials, the death was shocking and abrupt. “This morning, Yezhevika passed away. She just came out, ate with everyone, went for a swim, and died,” the park announced in a statement. Staff members who witnessed the collapse immediately pulled her from the water, but revival attempts were unsuccessful. The leading theory is that a crow may have brought rodent poison into the supposedly secure enclosure, leading to the fatal incident and a heartbreaking end to the young bear’s story of survival.