Arosa Bear Sanctuary – A rescue centre for brown bears in distress

Arosa Bärenland is not a traditional zoo, nor is it a wildlife park – rather, it is a sanctuary for brown bears. It takes in only brown bears that have been rescued from appalling conditions, such as – to give just one example – illegal captivity as restaurant or circus bears in Eastern Europe.

Arosa Bärenland is situated at an altitude of around 2,000 metres, right next to the middle station of the Weisshornbahn cable car, which starts in Arosa. Arosa Bärenland is an open-air enclosure covering around 2.8 hectares of alpine terrain with wooded areas, rocks, ponds and shrubs.

Important to note: Breeding is deliberately not carried out, as the centre is designed to accommodate a maximum of five animals. The concept is that each bear should have at least 5,000 square metres at its disposal.

Visitors can view the bears via a viewing platform and a suspension bridge adventure trail. This allows them to observe the animals without disturbing their retreat areas.

But a project like this also needs funding. Alongside the international animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, Arosa Tourism and the Arosa Mountain Railways, the Hotel Arosa Altein also supports the sanctuary with regular donations which, put simply, are generated by the number of guests staying at the hotel. The aim of the partnership is to closely link the tourist experience with the educational mission of Bärenland – guests are to be actively made aware of animal and species conservation in the Alpine region.
In this way, every guest contributes, perhaps even unconsciously, to the conservation of Bärenland. But the partnership also offers a benefit. Guests at the Faern Altein receive exclusive rates, combined tickets or packages for visiting the viewing platform and the mountain railways, as well as on-site information about the backgrounds of the rescued bears.

The journey by mountain railway into this wonderful and unique landscape is an experience in itself. To then be able to see these magnificent bears at close quarters makes for a memory to last a lifetime. After all, this bear conservation centre is unique in Switzerland.