Over the weekend I went with a friend and a local ex-pat group from Tbilisi on a trip that included hiking among the fall colors of the Sabaduri Forest National Park and a visit to a nearby sanctuary for Georgian Brown Bears.
An expat is loosely defined as a person residing in a country other than their native country. But all kinds of travelers join expat groups, usually for the social benefits of meeting people and making new friends on the road.
I haven’t made much use of expat groups in any previous part of my travels, while clinging to an unsubstantiated notion that they’re all populated by old travel grouches who sit around drinking and complaining constantly about why the country they decided to move to isn’t like the country they came from, in most cases the U.S. or U.K.
While some of that may be true, I found a different dynamic in this group I was invited to in Tbilisi. These are younger, earnest travelers who just want to see interesting things and meet like-minded people, and I’m enjoying these trips.
Georgian Brown Bears
The bears are an endangered species and many are rescued after being taken as cubs and kept as pets illegally in private homes, monasteries and businesses until they become too large to handle. By then they are also unable to adapt to the wild and end up in places like this where they are cared for but not afforded the life they would lead if raised as free bears.
It’s sad to see them behind the bars of the enclosure. Although they are better off here, I’m told, they are still subject to the amusement of humans in groups that visit such as the one I was part of.
At the least, the venture did raise some awareness of the bear’s plight.
I’m glad you found good company in the expat groups!
The bears look endearing, but it’s sad that they can’t roam more freely.