He will remain as "the first bear in the world who managed to move with a wheelchair". Usko, paralyzed because of a broken spine, died in northern Greece, announced Friday the conservation association Arcturos who rescued him in 2015.

Usko, a disabled bear who survived despite a broken spine, died in northern Greece, said Friday the NGO that rescued him. "It is with great sadness that we announce that Usko, the first bear in the world who has managed to get around with a wheelchair, is dead," Arcturos Conservation Association said in a statement. "During his short life, he taught us the importance of fighting and never giving up even if everything seems insurmountable," the NGO added.

Paralyzed from the waist up

Usko died of kidney failure Monday in the Arcturos-managed sanctuary in Nymfaio Mountain, some 600 kilometers northwest of Athens. He had been found again as a baby in 2015 in the Republic of North Macedonia, paralyzed from the waist because of his broken spine. His mother had been killed and he had been found alone in the forest. "He did not have the best of luck, but the healers and the veterinarians saw Usko as an incredible force and a love of life, and decided to try to create a specially adapted wheelchair for him. 'quickly adopted,' said the NGO Friday. "He grew up with three different chairs and became known as one of the few wild animal cases to have used (such a mechanism)," continued the association. Founded in 1992, Arcturos hosts bears and wolves from the Balkans but also predators from Austria and Georgia.