Protecting Bears, Building Bridges
Animal Politics Foundation Regional Conference 2026 | Brașov, Romania
Three days of connection, knowledge and action — bringing together animal advocates, political representatives and experts from across Europe to build a stronger future for animals.
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Welcome & Opening
On Friday 16 October, around 50 animal advocates, political representatives and experts from across Europe and beyond arrived in Brașov, Romania, for the Animal Politics Foundation Regional Conference 2026.
The conference began with an informal welcome and networking gathering at Wolkendorf Bio Hotel — a chance to reconnect with familiar faces, welcome new members of our international network and meet the people with whom we would spend the coming days exchanging knowledge, experiences and ideas.
Eva van Esch, board member of the Animal Politics Foundation, officially opened the conference and welcomed all participants to Romania. Her words marked the beginning of a weekend centred around two urgent animal welfare challenges: protecting Romania’s bears and improving the lives of stray animals — while strengthening the international cooperation needed to create lasting political change.
Board member Animal Politics Foundation Eva van Esch opening our network moment
Connecting across borders
Participants travelled to Romania from countries including Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Germany, Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Serbia and the Netherlands, alongside our Romanian hosts and partners.
Manager Animal Politics Marjolijn Veenstra welcoming our guests
The opening evening was deliberately all about connection. Over drinks and a fully plant-based selection of food, participants had time to meet, exchange experiences and discover just how many challenges — and ambitions — we share across borders.
And throughout the entire conference, all food served was 100% plant-based — because putting animal protection into practice also means leading by example.
These informal conversations are an essential part of every Animal Politics Foundation conference. Bringing people together does more than expand a network: it creates new collaborations, allows successful ideas to travel from one country to another and strengthens an international movement working to give animals a stronger political voice.
Our conference brings people together
Connecting together
Day 2 – Protecting Bears
Saturday morning marked the official start of the conference programme. Conference chair Eva van Esch welcomed participants back and introduced the central theme of the day: the protection of Romania’s brown bears and the search for humane, effective ways to improve coexistence between bears and people.
Eva van Esch conference chair opens day 1 of the conference
Before heading to the Libearty Bear Sanctuary, Paula Ciotlos of the Millions of Friends Association introduced participants to the sanctuary and its work. She shared the stories behind Libearty, the bears it has rescued over the years, and the reality faced by bears that have suffered through captivity, exploitation and inadequate living conditions.
Paula Ciotlos introduces Libearty and the rescued bears at the heart of its work
Her introduction provided an important context for what followed: seeing the sanctuary, meeting the people behind its work and, most importantly, witnessing first-hand what a second chance can mean for rescued bears.
Participant listening
A Visit to Libearty Bear Sanctuary
Libearty Bear Sanctuary
Following the morning introduction, participants travelled together to the Libearty Bear Sanctuary in Zărnești, where the realities behind Romania’s rescued bears became tangible.
Walking around the Bear Sanctuary
Founded by Cristina Lapis and run by the Millions of Friends Association, Libearty offers a safe haven to bears that have spent years — and sometimes decades — in captivity. During our visit, Cristina personally guided the group through the sanctuary and shared the stories of the bears, the circumstances from which they had been rescued and the long journey towards giving them a life with space, dignity and care.
Libearty founder Cristina Lapis shares the stories behind the sanctuary and her decades-long commitment to protecting bears
One of the most confronting reminders of that past was a small cage preserved at the sanctuary. It represents the conditions in which some bears were once kept for human entertainment — a stark contrast to the forested surroundings they can now explore at Libearty.
A stark reminder of the past: a cage like those in which bears were once kept for human entertainment, preserved at Libearty to ensure their suffering is not forgotten.
Walking through the sanctuary and seeing the bears up close made the purpose of our conference impossible to reduce to policy papers or statistics. Behind every discussion about legislation, coexistence and protection are individual animals whose lives are directly affected by the choices humans make.
From captivity to freedom — a second chance to simply be a bear
The visit ended with a small gesture of gratitude. On behalf of the Animal Politics Foundation, we presented Cristina with our own APF teddy bear — a symbolic thank-you for her decades of dedication to bears and for welcoming our international network to Libearty.
APF presents Cristina Lapis with our own APF teddy bear — a small token of gratitude for her lifelong dedication to protecting bears