Fluff & Scruff

Our first bears!

Fluff and Scruff, the first of our bears to make Wildwood their home, were rescued in November 2014 from a disused bear hunting centre in Bulgaria.

Born in isolation into tiny concrete pits, these barren cells were the bears’ whole world for 15 years – they had never set foot outside of those cells, never seen a tree, never touched grass. Their only interaction with other life came from being fed porridge through the bars of their cell, and hearing the sounds of other bears suffering somewhere nearby.

They were desperately underweight and displaying signs of serious stress; Fluff used to spend hours pacing and hugging the walls, Scruff used to rub his paws repeatedly on the floor until they bled.

We knew we had to help these bears, and give them a second chance at life.

How our supporters made their dream come true

Our incredible supporters helped us raise enough money to rescue Fluff and Scruff, and bring them 1600 miles by truck and ferry to their new woodland home.

When they first arrived they were half the weight an adult bear should be, and suffering from severe trauma and PTSD. With expert care from our dedicated keeper team, the bears started to eat a more natural diet and gain strength. 

Up until this point, they had only seen each other through a fence, so when it came time to let them both into the same enclosure, the keepers waited anxiously as Fluff and Scruff met each other properly for the first time. With a huge sigh of relief, the two bears embraced and immediately began to explore their new home together.

They now have a large woodland enclosure full of trees and plant life for them to forage through, caves to explore, and a pond with a waterfall to play in.

Making history in the UK

The next big step in their recovery came in 2017 when the keepers noticed a change in their behaviour as the temperatures started dropping.

Fluff and Scruff both started slowing down, spending more time in bed and became a lot less active. They showed all the signs that they were ready to hibernate for the winter, just as they would in the wild, although with our weather being a bit milder, they go into a state of torpor instead. For the first time in their lives, and making history in the UK, they went into torpor.

Our rehabilitation efforts are about encouraging natural behaviours, and never have our efforts been so rewarding.

Fluff and Scruff have successfully gone into torpor every year since. If you visit Wildwood Kent during the winter months, you can spot them on our TV screen outside their enclsosure, warmly snuggled up on a bed of hay. During the Summer months they happily forage, swim and play with their little adopted brother Boki.