Six Asiatic black bears rescued from bile farms in South Korea have started a new life in a forest habitat at Knuthenborg Safaripark in Denmark after an international rescue operation.

The footage follows their journey from sedation and transfer in Cheongju, where they are placed in wooden crates, to their arrival in Denmark and gradual release into holding enclosures. It ends with the bears stepping into woodland and water for the first time.

The animals had been kept in cages for bile extraction before more than two years of planning between NGOs, veterinarians and authorities in South Korea and Europe made the relocation possible.

Transported by truck and plane, the bears were moved through a carefully managed release process. At Knuthenborg, staff say the bears quickly settled, with one swimming and another feeding on leaves as they explore the park’s Bear Forest.