Birmingham man travels 280 miles through Ukraine to rescue an ex-circus bear

A Birmingham journalist joined an animal rescue charity for a 280-mile trip through Ukraine to save a bear whose sanctuary had been impacted by the war.

22-year-old brown bear Masha, who spent 19 years in the circus, was due to be moved from Sambir, near Lviv, to Romania when the war broke out.

"She's by no means domesticated," reporter Richard Ashmore told ITV. "She's been living in a temporary enclosure, on her own."

He also recalls meeting fleeing Ukrainians on the journey who enjoyed meeting the bear.

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