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Enclosure carpenter 'amazed' watching rescued bears

Kate Eagleton-Etheridge & Emily Ford
BBC News
Carpenter behind rescued bears enclosure on feeling 'emotional' seeing them happy

The carpenter who built an enclosure for two "naughty" rescued brother bears says it feels "amazing" to see them happy.

Daniel Tweitman helped create the enclosure for Benji and Balu at Wildheart Animal Sanctuary on the Isle of Wight.

It has been almost a year in the making to create the enclosure for the bears, who were saved from a cage in Azerbaijan and released into the sanctuary on 4 June.

Mr Tweitman says it was "quite emotional" to see the bears splashing around in the water - even if they recently damaged part of their new enclosure.

The bears were recently moved into a smaller pen while repairs were made to part of their new home, but have since been re-released.

Sanctuary chief executive, Lawrence Bates, said they had a "notoriously curious nature" and jokingly called them "naughty bears" after they damaged a brick.

Wildheart Animal Sanctuary A grey and brown concrete brick with white polystyrene inside.Wildheart Animal Sanctuary
The "naughty" bears took the polystyrene from inside a brick and sprinkled it in their enclosure

Mr Tweitman explained the 3,500sqm (11,483 sqft) enclosure was made through "lots of recycling and re-using" to keep costs down.

Sustainable materials have been used to make the bear platform and the connecting ramp in the bears' new enclosure.

Meanwhile the local marina donated concrete boat floats to build the structure.

"Actually building an enclosure for bears - everything is supersized, super engineered and structurally a lot safer. There's zoo regulations to follow, guidelines and stuff so the bears don't escape," Mr Tweitman said.

"[There was] a lot of thought about putting in a rock slide to hang out on and sunbathe. All sorts of things that cropped up as we built, adding in extra mounds for privacy, hibernation holes."

Daniel Tweitman stands on the viewing platform which overlooks the bear enclosure. He wears a dark grey flat cap backwards with a blue cotton short sleeve t shirt which has a white triangular logo on the front. He is giving a TV interview. In the background are green trees lining the enclosure, a pile of white large rocks, a small pond and tree with no leaves on it.
Carpenter Daniel Tweitman helped create the enclosure for Benji and Balu

About two years ago, the bears were relocated by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources to a temporary shelter.

They had been previously kept in a cage at a restaurant in Azerbaijan to attract customers.

In 2024, Wildheart Animal Sanctuary started a fundraising campaign to pay for the bears' transport and brand new home, with almost £218,000 raised.

A brown bear stands in the water in the enclosure. He is walking to the left of the image, near a pile of large white rocks which have been piled up to the side. To the right is a patch of grassland.
Benji and Balu were re-released into their Isle of Wight sanctuary after damaging it

Mr Tweitman added: "We broke ground last August I think, obviously it was time critical getting the bears here.

"It's absolute madness really, to think the amount of work and effort that everyone's put in to this build for two bears.

"It's quite emotional just to see them splashing around in the water, just happy."

The sanctuary previously said there were "tears all around" as the bears got to know their new home

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