A bear and his family were rescued by torchlight - after spending 12 years held in filthy cages.

The bears, weighing up to 500kg for each adult and 250kg for their youngster, were carried through a flat and put into lorries by torchlight and in the pouring rain in March.

The Syrian brown bears - male Aram, 12, female Nairi, 10, and their five to six-year-old daughter, Lola, were living in filthy cages in a backyard in Yerevan, Armenia.

The floors of their tiny enclosures were thick with muck and stinking, rescuers said.

Aram was held their for 12 years, Nair for at least six, and Lola was born in captivity.

Rescuers from International Animal Rescue (IAR), and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) arrived at the privately owned property at 9am on March 19 after a tipoff but weren't allowed in, despite having a court order.

After 12 hours, and with support from local government, the police and emergency services, the bears were sedated and put in crates.

They were carried through the 'owner''s flat and put into vehicles.

The rescue was done by torch light because the 12-hour delay meant it was past 9PM.

Rescuers described it as one of the most difficult bear rescues to date.

The bear family have been taken to Urtsadzor wildlife rescue centre where Aram will need a full dental on his broken teeth.

The rescue cost over £3,000, and it costs a further £7,500 a year to keep one bear in a rescue centre per year.

IAR president Alan Knight OBE said: "I was shocked beyond belief to see the conditions these bears were being kept in."

"They were as bad as anything I had seen during all my years rescuing animals."

"The man keeping these bears claims to love them but that's patently untrue."

"No one who genuinely cares for an animal would keep it locked up for years in such a small, filthy cage."

"There is increasing public opposition to this practice, both for the sake of the bears and because of the risk it poses to human safety."

"The government has also shown itself willing to support the confiscation of the bears, which is vital in cases such as this one, where the owner refuses to hand them over without a fight."

"We're extremely grateful to the government authorities, and together with FPWC, our team, our supporters and donors, we will eventually rescue all the caged bears in Armenia and give them the lives they deserve."

To support the Great Bear Rescue campaign and help save more bears like these, visit:
https://www.internationalanimalrescue.org/appeal/great-bear-rescue