The Libearty Sanctuary has participated on the winter edition of the Crazy Race with a manifest-crew against keeping bears in captivity. A bear transportation cage has been fitted on some skis, and the members of the crew descended on the slope from Poiana Brașov…in a cage. The protest of the bears has been awarded with a well-deserved third place.
„ How would you feel if you were locked in a cage? “ This is what we wanted to find out, and not in any way, but on skis, down stream on the “Bradul” Slope from Poiana Brașov. The Libearty team registered in the 10th edition of the Crazy Race contest, organized by the Rotary Citadel Club, on Saturday, 23rd of February, with an extraordinary sledging. We took the cage Maria and Marko were transported in from Albania and shod it with a pair of skis. We decorated it with Libearty Sanctuary banners and pushed it down the hill, on the Bradul Slope, where the other seven competitors boasted with their amazing „carts”.
Same as every year, this event has been a charitable one. With the raised money, the best class of students from Brașov would go to Germany, to learn the secrets of the “first aid”. AMP wanted to show that an animal protection organization is not thinkig only about animals but also about children. Moreover, the Bear-Team has been the only one sending a message to the public: „Why should we condamn our bears to prison?”. This message aroused the sympathy of the mature public, and a volunteer from Oyster International disguised in a bear – the sympathy of children. Aligned at the start line, the cage of the bears caught speed and proved to be unstoppable – it was also because the cage was not fitted with breaks!
Same as the bear rescue „races” against time, take unexpected turns, the crazy cage deviated from the initial course – the one towards the finish line – and stopped in the protection fence. Luckily, no beholder was hurt by the impact! The AMP members locked in the cage got out with a vigorous scare, but they breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the team speed past the finish line. Only then the colleagues caught in the cage have been rescued, managing to escape unharmed from behind bars. It is true that we could not compete with other teams, whose ideeas were inspired from cartoons (The Flintstones) or from the everyday life (division after divorce or „the malpractice slay”). Yet, our message reached the right place – the hearts of the viewers, and the bear rescues brought the team a well deserved third place.
Our message reached the people’s homes, through TV and newspapers. Here is what the newspapers wrote the third day after the race:
„Bună ziua, Brașov!”
„On the Bradul Slope, among the atypical slides that stood at the start line, Fred Flinstone’s car was present „who forgot his dog Dino back home”, the sledge of the Libearty team with a bear transportation cage, and also the sledge called „Quick and cheap partition”, in fact Sanuel Deneş’s half house, who was also the winner of last year’s contest.
And because this event was one of the crazy ones, with much fancy and fun, the funny events could not miss. For example, the sledge of the Libearty crew lost its direction and reached the audience side. But it was immediately rectified, and the crew reached the finish line safely. „We wanted to draw a warning that there are still bears held in captivity”, explained Liviu Cioineag, the manager of the Bear Sanctuary from Zărneşti.”
Transilvania Express
The competition podium was completed by ’’the bears’’, who impressed with their message: „ How would you feel if you were locked in a cage? “?”,especially addressed to the hostel and hotel owners. The members of this crew are volunteers at the Millions of Friends Association (that is managing the “Libearty” bear sanctuary in Zărneşti) and they wanted to report the problem of the bears who are still living in captivity in Romania.”
