Cholita returned to the wild around seven years ago, after her life was spent in captivity. She had spent most of her time in a small cage. She was stolen as a cub and sold to a travelling circus, and then she was in a zoo until Animal Defenders International (ADI) found her. They stepped in for her and took her to a habitat in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest.
Before that, stress and loneliness caused her to lose all of her hair.
But a lot has changed since then, and no one is happier about it than Cholita.
ADI was worried about her health during her journey over the Andes. So they made her an Oxygen tent for her at altitude. “Seven years on you can see just how much she has thrived back in her natural habitat,” ADI said in a Facebook post.
Now Cholita’s life is different from what it used to be. Her fur may never grow back due to her thick skin, but her playful personality is going to shine back again.
Cholita has been a constant presence on ADI’s social media pages, garnering thousands of supporters across the globe. Her fans love to see her enjoying a natural forest happily. “Our magnificent Queen of the forest is looking forward to carved melons and lots of extra fruit this week to mark Halloween!” ADI said in another Facebook post.
She may have been through a lot, but at the estimated age of 30 years old, she is thriving in her natural habitat. She gets to either favourite thing in the world there, and that is grapes.
Jan Creamer, the president of ADI says that the rescue of this incredible survivor encouraged government officials to rescue more bears in Peru. Cholita now is spending her busy days chatting with Dominga or Sabina next door, roaming her habitat, soaking in the pool or snoozing in her cave.
Cholita is not worrying anymore. She is finally safe and living her best life she deserved.
