As the early morning mist curled around Dracula's castle, the three bears cautiously sniffed the air and stepped gingerly out of their cages. It was the first time they'd been free of their tiny prison cells for at least a decade.

The twelve-year-old bears were due to be slaughtered and their skins sold to fur traders but a British-based animal welfare group stepped in and saved them. And yesterday they were released into their new home  - a sanctuary that spans the forests and rivers of Transylvania.

"It was one of the most touching moments of my life," says Victor Watkins, wildlife director for the World Society for the Protection of Animals. "Within moments they had discovered the bowls of yogurt and jars of honey that we'd left for them as a welcoming present. They spent ages just savouring the taste."

"They rolled around in a pile of straw like puppies in a flowerbed. They were obviously delighted to be free. When I looked into their eyes I could see just how happy they were."

Cristi, Lydia, and Odi were rescued last autumn from a restaurant near Brasov, Transylvania, where they were used to lure passing tourists. Each brown bear was housed in a tiny concrete-floored cage measuring just six feet by nine. The owners neglected the bears, rarely cleaned their cages and couldn't even be bothered to give them a few sticks or logs to play with. The bears were lucky to be fed. The creatures survived on scraps thrown to them by restaurant customers and the generosity of local animal lover Cristina Lapis."I will always remember the first time I saw these beautiful bears," says Cristina.

"I was so upset by the way they were being treated that I sat down in front of their cages and cried. I promised them that I would not rest until I had rescued them."

Cristina persuaded WSPA to build the bears a 170 acre sanctuary within sight of Bran castle, the fabled home of Count Dracula.

Although the sanctuary will not be completed for another six months, bears are already queuing up for release into the three 50 acre compounds.

By the end of the year, the sanctuary is expected to provide a home for around 50 bears. But to complete it, WSPA needs to raise an additional £200,000. If they manage this, they will be able to rescue another 50 animals and build a visitor centre where Romanian children can learn how to protect the bears.

And it's likely that they will need every sanctuary space they can get for the creatures. The Romanian authorities have just launched a nationwide sweep to rescue bears imprisoned in private collections across the country so they can meet relatively tough European animal welfare laws. All of these will need to be re-homed or, where possible, released back into the wild.  

"If we raise the money we'll be able to take every bear we find," says Victor Watkins. "I hope we'll soon have groups of happy bears wandering through our woodlands and dozing in our meadows."

Follow this author on twitter: @DrDannyPenman

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