What would it be like for bears to receive copyright? Bears have inspired so many brands - from beer, fabric softener, clothing to sweets and juices. In a series of videos released on social media by Agent Green, Charlie Ottley urges brands that use the image or word "bear" in their identity to pay copyright to bears (bear right) and thus contribute to the creation of a new sanctuary in Romania. To support the Bear Right initiative, companies can get in touch with a campaign representative online.

For the construction of the sanctuary, locations from the counties with the largest bear populations are taken into account, such as Harghita, Mureș, Brașov, Covasna, Vrancea. The chosen area would meet the basic needs of bears, so the naturalness of the habitat will play a key role. The territory must include a mixed forest, which shouldn’t lack beech, meadow, a stream (flowing water) and a pond. In this sanctuary, bears will be able to express their natural behavior and will have access to facilities that will stimulate their physical condition and keep them active.

The program will also include the reintroduction in nature of those bears that can still be rehabilitated.

"Ever since I first arrived in Romania, in 2010, I was fascinated by its nature and the rich fauna from here. Unfortunately, things are not going well for the brown bear populations, a magnificent, but endangered creature. We are largely responsible for recent problems arising from bears encroaching on the human environment - because we are so busy cutting down theirs. If we destroy their territory we force bears into closer proximity with us…and then we have the audacity to blame them. So, the right to life is the focus of this campaign in which we address especially those who carry the bear in their identity, such as names or logos. By paying the bear right, we are paying for the sustainability of the environment, for our future”, said Charlie Ottley.

The goal is to establish a sanctuary where, for a start, 50 bears would be saved. In the first stage, the goal is to obtain the 30 hectares needed, but also to attract investments for the first 10 bears - the total costs for the sanctuary to be built and become operational are up to 10,000 euros per saved bear.

"Through the funds we will raise from the copyright for bears, we want to buy the right to life for these animals, which would otherwise be shot. A whole life in dignity in a new sanctuary in their natural environment for the bears that the authorities failed to protect from the loss of habitat and the fatal approach of people. Or, after a time, returning them back in nature if their rehabilitation will still be possible”, said Gabriel Păun, president of Agent Green.

On this line, Agent Green and Charlie Ottley want to point out that in the absence of ensuring coexistence and co-adaptation measures, as well as habitat degradation, the man-bear conflict has reached unprecedented heights, an issue that will continue to benefit just the trophy hunting. And part of the solution for the accustomed bears, form now on considered accustomed to humans and dangerous, are education projects and the creation of a sanctuary.

Globally, the bear is among the most common wild animals in the identity of companies, along with some domestic ones, such as dogs, cats and horses, according to the latest studies. At the same time, it is the most popular family name in Romania that originates in the name of an animal, according to official statistics.

In Romania we still find the largest population of brown bears in Europe, but their existence is endangered especially by the reduction of their natural habitats, to which are added climate change but also the trophy hunting. The most famous case of a bear hunted for trophies is that of the giant Arthur, shot this year in a protected natural area in Covasna County, a case reported by Agent Green.

The initiative, launched in the first phase to companies and continued in the future with the opening of donations to individuals, is addressed to all those who want to support the symbol of the Carpathians Mountains, the brown bear. Anyone can make a donation on the online dedicated platform.

At the same time, the project responds to the fight against climate change. Every company inevitably has an activity that generates greenhouse gas emissions, but they can also be neutralized or offset if the companies support such projects, which preserve forests that store carbon and produce oxygen.

The campaign is a non-profit one, initiated by the NGO Agent Green and the McCann PR + The New agency, with the support of the British TV producer Charlie Ottley, known, among others, for the Wild Carpathia documentary series that promoted Romania around the world.