By Brooke Brinker, Social Media Manager
Most bears hibernate, play, and wander around in free space, but unfortunately, that was not the case for Hope the bear. Hope spent a whole year as just a cub in a cage with little to no room to roam as she was captured and kept in a small cage outside a restaurant for entertainment.
According to People.com, one year later, in May 2013, Hope was rescued by FOUR PAWS, an international animal welfare organization. Hope was then brought to a bear sanctuary in Kosovo to help her re-learn natural behaviors bears know at a young age.
Hope basically had to learn how to be a bear, and, overall, learn how to hibernate. Over the last 14 years, Hope had so much room to roam around in her sanctuary and has gotten used to her caretakers which led to Hope having much more confidence and happiness.
People.com also reported that this year Hope is competing in the “March Napness 2026 competition.” It is a competition to see which bear can hibernate the longest. In fact, for this competition, many spectators are rooting for Hope to win.
Hope even has a bear in her sanctuary to play with. His name is Tomi, and he was also rescued from a small cage just like Hope. Hope has made so much progress and is now happy as can be!
It is the sad reality that this can and has happened to many bears. When animals are kept in tiny cages with no room, they don’t learn natural habits that most bears know. Hope had to learn what she should have learned as just a cub.
“Hope’s healing reminds us that survival is not just about enduring hardship but about having the chance to recover from it,” said Dr. Cheryl Berry, an instructor of biology & life sciences at Saint Leo University.
Animals should not be kept in unnatural conditions. It makes them depressed, confused, and makes life so hard for them in the cage, and once they are rescued, they have to re-learn everything.
“Human compassion plays a powerful role helping rescued animals heal and reclaim the fullness of life they were meant to experience,” stated by Berry.
Hope’s story shows how cruel our world can be, but it turned it into something Hope conquered. Hope loves her caretakers, is happy in her huge habitat, and is even competing in a competition of hibernation, which she didn’t even do before when she was in a cage.
As a community, students should spread Hope the bears’ story and make sure to root for Hope in the 2026 Napness competition. Hope’s story is not only heartwarming, but Hope shows that there is hope in this world for animals who are living in unnatural conditions.
1 Comment
This is a great article!