The Bear Right by Agent Green & Charlie Ottley: an unusual appeal for a new bear sanctuary
BEAR RIGHT: AN UNUSUAL APPEAL FOR A NEW BEAR SANCTUARY IN ROMANIA
4.11.2021 Agent Green, together with renowned TV producer Charlie Ottley, makes an unusual appeal to build a new bear sanctuary in Romania. International companies are invited to join the Bear Right campaign by paying copyright fees to bears.
What if bears received royalties? Bears have inspired so many brands, from beer, fabric softener and clothing to sweets and soft drinks. In a series of videos released on social media by Agent Green, Charlie Ottley urges brands using the image or word “bear” in their identity to pay copyright fees to bears (bear right) and thus contribute to a new sanctuary in Romania. To support the Bear Right initiative, companies can contact a campaign representative online.
Locations being considered for the sanctuary are mainly in counties with the largest bear populations, such as Vrancea, Harghita, Mureș, Brașov or Covasna. The chosen area would have to meet bears’ basic needs, so the habitat’s naturalness will play a key role. The territory must include mixed forest with beech trees, a meadow, running water and a pond. In this sanctuary, bears will be able to express their natural behaviour and have access to facilities that stimulate their physical condition and keep them active.
The programme will also seek to return to the wild those bears that can still be rehabilitated.
“Ever since I first came to Romania in 2010, I have been fascinated by its nature and abundant wildlife. Sadly, things are not going well for brown bear populations, a magnificent, endangered creature. We humans are largely responsible for the recent problems caused by bears appearing in our environment, because we are so busy tearing theirs down. If we destroy their territory, we force bears to come closer… and then we dare blame them. As a result, the right to life is the focus of this campaign, in which we primarily address those who bear the bear in their identity, such as names or logos. By paying the bear’s due, we pay for environmental sustainability, for our future,” Charlie Ottley said.
The campaign aims to establish a sanctuary that will initially save 50 bears. The first phase targets securing the necessary 30 hectares and attracting investment for the first 10 bears; the total cost of building the sanctuary and making it operational is up to 10,000 euros per bear saved.
“With the money we collect through royalties for bears, we want to buy the right to life for animals that would otherwise be shot. A whole life in dignity in a new sanctuary in their natural environment for bears whom the authorities have failed to protect from habitat loss and fatal proximity to people. Or, after a while, back to the wild if rehabilitation is still possible,” said Gabriel Păun, president of Agent Green.
In this way, Agent Green and Charlie Ottley want to highlight that, without measures ensuring coexistence and coadaptation, and amid habitat degradation, human–bear conflict has reached unprecedented levels, a problem from which trophy hunting alone will continue to profit. Education projects and the creation of a sanctuary are part of the solution for habituated bears, now considered used to people and dangerous.
Worldwide, the bear is among the wild animals most frequently used in company identities, alongside domestic animals such as dogs, cats and horses, according to the latest research. It is also Romania’s most popular surname originating from an animal’s name, according to official statistics.
Romania still has Europe’s most significant brown bear population, but its existence is threatened especially by shrinking natural habitats, compounded by climate change, human persecution and trophy hunting. The best-known case of a bear hunted as a trophy is that of the giant Arthur, shot this year in a protected natural area in Covasna County, a case reported by Agent Green.
The initiative, initially launched for companies and subsequently extended to donations from individuals, addresses everyone wishing to support the Carpathians’ symbol, the brown bear. Anyone will be able to donate on the dedicated online platform.
Archive note: the original donation platform link led back to this article; the platform’s destination could not be recovered.
The project also contributes to combating climate change. Every company inevitably has activities generating greenhouse gas emissions, but these can also be neutralised or offset by supporting projects like this, which conserve forests that store carbon and produce oxygen.
The campaign is a nonprofit initiative of the NGO Agent Green and the agency McCann PR+The New, supported by British TV producer Charlie Ottley, known for the Wild Carpathia documentary series that promoted Romania around the world.
Press contact:
Victor Gavril, Account Manager McCannPR+
0730511256 | victor_gavril@mccannpr.ro
