May 2008
gm recruitment have been supporting the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) in the construction of a much needed bear sanctuary in Romania.
The sanctuary will provide a home for European brown bears who have previously been kept in caged and cramped conditions. WSPA works with local animal welfare group, Milioane de Prieteni, on this project.
When Romania joined the EU, increased standards of animal welfare meant that many of the country’s zoos did not meet EU requirements. Whilst Romanian law protects bears from mistreatment, with nowhere to house them when confiscated, the laws have been impossible to enforce until now. 29 bears are already housed at the Sanctuary but many more await the completion of the second enclosure in August. Due to the size of the sanctuary and complexity of security measures, both parties realised that they needed some help and expertise with the construction.
gm recruitment provided experienced Project Manager Paul Braithwaite to keep the construction on track. Since arriving in Romania Paul has been key in working with the local group and builders to manage the construction, ensure timeframes are met and costs are kept under control.
George Willis, Managing Director of gm recruitment comments “Finding talented people for construction projects is something we do all the time but it has given us particular pleasure to have assisted in such an interesting and worthwhile scheme. It has been very rewarding to have found the person that WSPA needed for the project from the initial brief and seen him become such an essential part of their team”.
Dave Eastham, WSPA’s Head of Wildlife says “We are very grateful to gm recruitment for their support with this project and delighted to welcome Paul as part of team to help us complete this much needed Sanctuary. By the end of the year we hope that up to 50 bears will be rescued and able to roam free in the Forest enclosures that Paul has helped to complete.”
