Higher standards for wild animals in captivity in Lithuania

Bear Masha - as a tourist's attraction - has been kept in this cage for over 8 years. All visitors are encouraged to buy ice cream and Coca-Cola to feed to Masha, which in reality is very harmful to the animals' health. The cage and the small outside environment at present satisfy the minimum requirements for keeping wild animals in captivity as written in Lithuanian law.

Minimum requirements by law for keeping bears in captivity are: 30 sq.m outdoor enclosure, 6 sq.m indoors, double electric fencing and the possibility to hide and rest.

In nature bears love to swim, climb, root, but according to the current minimum standards this is not available for the animals in captivity.

Please sign the petition which will be send to the Minister of Environment and thus express your support for immediate reviewing of the existing keeping standards for wildlife. Ask him to consider replacing current insufficient requirements with much higher standards as soon as possible.