"Love's fate is the shame of Montenegro"

Every new day that the bear Ljubo spends in the shelter in the village of Blizna is a day of shame for the citizens of Montenegro, and the Government should immediately take measures to end that situation.

This, among other things, was announced by the International Organization for the Rescue of Animals (Animal Survival International, ASI) in response to the allegations of the owner of the property "Animal Shelter and Recovery Montenegro" Miljan Milickovic.

Executive Director of ASI David Barritt recently announced that the five-year-old brown bear Ljubo is keeping away from all guidelines on keeping such wild animals in captivity, that the conditions in which he lives are unbearably cruel, and that the state of Montenegro persistently ignores this.

Milicković assessed the claims of ASI as untrue and said that he was sure that they had never set foot on his property and that they had not seen accommodation for bears with their own eyes...

Barit said that his statements were designed with the intention of discrediting ASI and damaging the reputation of that organization.

"He describes ASI as a 'fake' organization that never visited the bear, and that we committed some illegal actions in order to torture the bear and misrepresent the conditions in which it lives," said Barit.

He added that ASI is an international animal welfare organization with 1,2 million supporters in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and South Africa.

"And he has an unblemished reputation. We also have proof that we personally investigated the situation and were convinced of the poor conditions in which the bear is kept. We stand by our statements that these conditions are so cruel and stressful that the bear resorts to self-harm, that the cage it is in does not meet international standards for bears in captivity, and that for its well-being it must be urgently moved to an authorized bear sanctuary," he said. in response.

He also said that Milicković's claims are untrue and that they seriously damage the reputation of ASI.

"They destroy our credibility and do not help our efforts to help animals. Therefore, we demand that Milicković immediately withdraw the false accusations and issue a written, public apology. If this is not agreed upon within a reasonable time, we will be forced to seek justice before the courts in Montenegro," said Birit.

He adds that Milicković made claims about how he received "glowing" reports from Montenegrin institutions for the care of the bear.

"We have not seen any evidence that this is true and we call on him to publish these reports," the ASI said in its response.

In response to Milicković's claims that the bear should be moved to a reserve of 2023 square meters by April 8.400, XNUMX, they said that this is impossible due to the current political situation in Montenegro.

"The reality is that the Government of Montenegro announced that it plans to establish a temporary shelter for wild animals taken from private owners. However, it is currently impossible for this to happen due to other political issues at the local and national level. We once again appeal to the Government of Montenegro to stop turning a blind eye to the terrible situation the bear is in, to take appropriate legal measures against its owner and to focus on moving the animal to an authorized bear shelter. Every day that the bear spends in the captivity of Miličković is a day of shame for the citizens of Montenegro. We call on the Government of Montenegro to immediately take measures to end this situation", ASI stated.