Rescued bears who went through hell - with one chained around its neck since it was a cub and the other forced to drink 20 bottles of beer a day - are now thriving in animal sanctuary

Rescued bears who were kept in appalling conditions and treated cruelly are now thriving in a Kosovo animal sanctuary.  

Rescue group Four Paws received reports of a bear being kept in a cage beside a restaurant in southern Albania. 

When they arrived at the scene, staff discovered Pashuk, a bear which had been chained since he was a young cub. 

As he aged, his skin and fur grew around the chain, effectively embedding it into his skin. Four Paws had no choice but to remove the chain at the scene. 

Rescued bears who were kept in appalling conditions and treated cruelly are now thriving in a Kosovo animal sanctuary

Pashuk and Gjina were kept in cages outside separate restaurants in Albania before being rescued

Having never lived among other bears, the two were socialised together for 10 months 

'They put this tight chain around Pashuk's neck when he was still young and locked him in a cramped little cell,' Carsten Hertwig, Four Paws' head of sustainable sanctuaries, said. 

'Even as he grew, no one ever took the chain off. I've seen a lot of bears suffering, but I've never seen anything like this in my life. Pashuk must have been in incredible pain.' 

Pashuk had had a chain placed around his neck when he was a young cub which was not loosened as he grew

As he aged, his skin and fur grew around the chain, effectively embedding it into his skin

Four Paws, the animal welfare group that rescued Pashuk, had no choice but to remove the chain at the scene

Indeed, the bear was too weak to be immediately transported to the group's sanctuary in Pristina, Kosovo's capital, so he was taken to Tirana Zoo in Albania to build up his strength for a few weeks. 

Pashuk's rescue came around the same time as that of another bear, Gjina who was found in Zergan, Albania. 

Like Pashuk, Gjina had been confined in a four metres squared cage beside a restaurant, where patrons would force her to consume up to 20 bottles of beer a day. 

Pashuk was too weak to be immediately transported to the group's sanctuary in Pristina, Kosovo's capital, so he was taken to Tirana Zoo in Albania to build up his strength for a few weeks

Before being rescued, both bears had been confined to small cages - around four metres squared

Following their rescue, the bears - which had never closely interacted with others of their kind - were socialised together for 10 months. 

Four Paws says they are bonding well and are preparing to hibernate for winter.

Afrim Mahmuti, the site manager at the Bear Sanctuary Pristina, said that he hopes Pashuk's story can 'remind people not to mistreat animals.'

'It was a painful story, but with a happy ending,' he said.  

Four Paws says the two bears are bonding well and are preparing to hibernate for winter

Afrim Mahmuti, the site manager at the Bear Sanctuary Pristina, said that he hopes Pashuk 's story can 'remind people not to mistreat animals'

'It was a painful story, but with a happy ending,' Four Paws' Afrim Mahmuti said of Pashuk