Caring for bears in Croatia

Local resident travels to eastern Europe to care for endangered brown bears

By Evan Jensen

The Estacada News, Oct 21, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Estacada resident stands outside the Kuterevo Brown Bear Sanctuary in Croatia where she spent part of the summer caring for endangered brown bears in the eastern European country.

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When the young Krystal Kyle was in the second grade, she organized the Endangered Species Club with a following of students who shared her passion for protecting animals. Her second grade fundraising-and-awareness campaign never gained the attention of the federal government or like-minded financial supporters with deep pockets, but Kyle remained true to the cause.

While some college students bummed around at home, worked odd jobs or decided to “take time off,” last summer, Kyle, now 20 years old, made her way to Croatia to care for orphaned brown bears at a remote sanctuary in a forested area in the northwestern part of the Eastern European country.

“Brown bears are endangered in Croatia and their biggest problem is illegal dumping,” Kyle said. “Most places don’t have a central waste management system, so people just dump their garbage out in the woods. But that attracts bears, and when people see them a lot of times they freak out and shoot them, leaving the cubs left out in the wilderness.”

Kyle was able to get up close and personal with brown bears at the Kuterevo Bear Sanctuary by committing to helping out at the refuge through the International Student Volunteers program. Kyle joined a group of other students in Croatia at the bear refuge to help feed and care for the bears, improve the fencing around the refuge and complete several service projects in the town of Kuterevo.

“I really liked playing with the bears and taking care of them,” Kyle said. “When I was on bear duty, one of my jobs would be to throw rotten apples to them every morning. I also had to make bear ice cream, which is made of layers of ice and fruit frozen together. They loved playing with it and would just go crazy when we gave it to them. The young brown bears are a lot like dogs, and it’s easy to forget they can actually be really scary.”

Four brown bears were living at the Kuterevo Bear Sanctuary, while Kyle was there during the summer, ranging in age from two years old to six years old. The bears arrived as young orphaned cubs and were so accustomed to their way of life that a well-disciplined Border collie served as their surrogate mother.

Kyle took her turn at bear duty and working on a variety of other projects at the refuge. The student group she was with worked on expanding the sanctuary enclosure and building an additional fence to make the place safer for visitors. She also spent time on the outskirts of Kuterevo making improvements to an aging cemetery and cleaning up trash and debris left behind.

“When we weren’t working with the bears, we worked in a cemetery in Kuterevo,” Kyle said. “Some of the people there are a little wary of American tourists, so doing a community project is a way to help overcome that. We built a walking path to reach the cemetery and cut down a lot of overgrown hedges. There were also these plastic lanterns everywhere. People would just throw them away into this hedge when they weren’t going to use them again. We picked up so many, I just couldn’t believe it. When I saw someone buy one at the grocery store I thought, ‘You better plan on throwing that away properly.”

During her stay at the bear refuge, Kyle and the other students stayed in modest cabins on the property with minimal amenities and compost toilets. The students slept on the floor on mattresses and had free time each day between work assignments to relax, take a nap or visit the only restaurant in Kuterevo.

“It was really cool to have such a hands-on experience being able to help the bears,” Kyle said. “I also really liked the town. We went to the one restaurant in town a few times, and there was also a little market where local guys sit out front and drink beer all day long. It was fun being part of the town, even if it was for just a little while.”

When her work was done at the Kuetervo Bear Sanctuary, Kyle, and the students she worked side by side with, boarded a boat to visit a host of coastal towns such as the medieval-style city Dubronik and another town modeled after an ancient haven for pirates. The tour also included visits to national parks and a host of adventure sports where Kyle got her first taste of rock climbing and fell in love with it.

“The whole thing was just an amazing experience,” Kyle said. “I wasn’t sure about taking care of bears, because I was really into big cats and sharks. But after this, I added bears to my group of favorite animals. I gained a lot of confidence for making friends and being able to travel on my own, and I think the experience will help me with what I want to do for a career.”

Kyle plans to finish her bachelor’s degree in biology at PSU and pursue master’s and doctorate degrees in wildlife management. And even though her second grade endangered species club never got off the ground, Kyle has held on to her dream and her passion ever since she vowed to make a difference for the animals.

“She’s always been that way,” said Joann Schaefer, Kyle’s grandmother who lives in Estacada. “She’s always loved animals, and she’s always cared about the environment. I was a little nervous about her going to Croatia, but I knew it would be a good experience for her. She’s responsible and levelheaded and really cares about animals. I’m so proud of her.”

Place and date of birth

Oregon City, Ore., in August 1989

Family

Troy and Jenny Kyle; Sibling, Ash

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