TWO mischievous brown bears have had their first play date with new companions at a Devon wildlife park.

Siblings Mish and Lucy, who made the news recently for a daring honey store raid, met new residents twin bear cubs Malenky and Nanuq in the first of a series of carefully planned introductions at Wildwood in East Devon

Just months after stealing the spotlight with a daring food store raid, brown bear siblings Mish and Lucy are back in the news.

The playful pair have been carefully introduced to twin cubs, Malenky and Nanuq, in the first of a series of supervised meet-and-greets inside their enclosure. The twins, born in the shadow of the Ukraine war, arrived at the park in May looking for a new family.

This week, they met their new playmates for the first time, with the meeting filled with vocalisations and interactions as the sibling pairs explored each other with cautious curiosity, engaging in bouts of play-fighting and nose-to-nose greetings.

Jon Forde, Head of Bears at Wildwood Trust, said the first introduction went as well as they’d hoped, but they’re not taking anything for granted. “One of the main reasons we agreed to take Malenky and Nanuq was that we wanted playmates for Mish and Lucy.

“We’re delighted to see them interact so well in the first instance and in fact managed two succssful meetings between the sibling pairs yesterday. We’re not out of the woods yet but we hope that one day the four bears can be fully integrated. In the meantime, we’ll be watching carefully to ensure they haven’t been hatching any escape plans.”

Earlier this summer, brown bears Mish and Lucy hit the headlines after they snuck out of their enclosure at Wildwood, just outside Ottery St Mary, and devoured a week’s worth of honey. They were swiftly recalled by the team to their enclosure and additional security checks have been put in place as a precaution.

The duo’s meeting with Malenky and Nanuq has added poignancy given Lucy and Mish’s own backstory. The siblings were rescued from certain death in the Albanian mountains in 2019 and came to their forever home in Devon four years ago. It was always the charity’s plan to find playmates to aid their development.

Becky Copland, Animal Behaviour Management Officer at Wildwood Trust, explains why the meeting is so important for the bears.

“Introducing Mish and Lucy to Malenky and Nanuq is an important step for their social and emotional development,” she said

“ Playmates give bears the chance to form bonds, explore, and learn essential behaviors, all while keeping them mentally stimulated and happy in a safe environment.”

The successful introduction comes just months after the Wildwood team facilitated a similar meeting between its bears at its Kent park. Three-year-old Boki was reintroduced to his neighbouring playmates Fluff and Scruff after recovering from ground-breaking brain surgery.

Wildwood has now rescued eight brown bears and has become a global leader in the rescue and rehabilitation of brown bears. The conservation charity first gained international acclaim with the rescue of Fluff and Scruff - two bears who survived horrific abuse in a Bulgarian hunting facility. They now live peacefully at Wildwood’s Kent site.

In 2023, the trust also stepped in to save Diego – the last remaining brown bear at Sweden’s Orsa Predator Park. Facing euthanasia after the park’s closure, Diego was temporarily rehomed at Wildwood Devon before moving to his permanent sanctuary at Jimmy’s Farm in Suffolk.

To learn more about Wildwood Trust’s vital work and how to support bear rescue efforts, visit: Brown Bear rescue