Outlander star opens charity's bear sanctuary

The actor Steven Cree has opened the first phase of a charity's bear sanctuary in Armenia.

International Animal Rescue (IAR) rescued Syrian brown bears Aram, Nairi and their daughter Lola and is now caring for them at the new facility near the village of Ushi.

Cree, a patron of the East Sussex-based charity, visited the sanctuary alongside IAR president Alan Knight.

"The three bears were rescued from someone's back garden in Armenia and now live an infinitely happier and more comfortable lifestyle here," the actor said.

"I was very humbled, very moved," the Outlander and I Swear actor told the BBC.

"When you see an animal close up like that and you look into their eyes, it's incredibly upsetting to imagine what they must have endured.

"But on the flip side, it's amazing that people like Alan exist and the people who work at the sanctuary who give their lives selflessly to the betterment of these animals."

IAR rescued the three bears last year from "filthy cages" in the grounds of a home in the capital Yerevan.

The new sanctuary is part of a long-running IAR campaign alongside Armenia's Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets.

Knight said the organisations were working to finish the remaining phases of the sanctuary.

"Soon, the rescue bears will finally have space, safety and the chance to experience life as bears should," he told the BBC.

Cree said: "The dream situation would be to be back in the wild but when you know that they are not going to survive, then this is the best situation they can be in."

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