Homer and Ulysses, two bears who were rescued from “terrible” conditions at a private zoo in Lebanon, flew into O’Hare International Airport Monday en route to their final destination at the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado

       The bears flew from Beirut to the United Arab Emirates before coming to Chicago. It is not exactly clear why the bears traveled through O’Hare, although Steve Bansbach, Illinois public affairs specialist for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said he is “sure that was the easiest route.”

       The bears were sedated and transported in metal crates with holes in them for ventilation.

       According to The Associated Press, the bears were kept in small cement cages for over a decade at the private zoo in the village of Hanaway in southern Lebanon Animals Lebanon, an organization that promotes the protection and humane treatment of animals, has helped close four zoos by rescuing and finding better homes for animals.

       One of two Syrian brown bears is sedated and examined before being transferred to the United States by members animal welfare group Four Paws, near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, July 18, 2021. (Mahmoud Zayyat/Getty-AFP)

       “No animal should have to live in such terrible conditions, without proper food, veterinary care, or housing,” Jason Mier, the director of Animals Lebanon, told the AP. “ ... For the first time in their life they can actually be bears, with large natural enclosures, and the ability to experience and enjoy their days.”

       It was unclear how long the bears were to stay in Chicago, according to Bansbach, but they will be driven to the Wild Animal Sanctuary, which cares for hundreds of animals, to include a fox and a wallaby previously rescued by Animals Lebanon.

       The Associated Press contributed.

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