Bear cub Ema was said to be just three weeks old when she was sold.

Another two cubs discovered thought to be siblings

A young bear cub being kept in a flat in Kosovo has been seized by police, according to the animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS.

The charity says it is caring for the female cub, who was bought by a family at just three weeks of age and kept illegally in a flat in Peja, western Kosovo.

FOUR PAWS says the bear was six weeks old when she was removed by police.

Since then, two more bear cubs of the same age have been discovered in the region. It is thought they may be siblings and a health check is planned to determine if this is the case.

All three cubs are now being cared for at FOUR PAWS Bear Sanctuary Prishtina. They have been named Ema, Oska and Ron.

FOUR PAWS bear expert Carsten Hertwig says the medical condition of the cubs is very serious - in the wild a bear cub will spend at least two years with its mother.

"The cubs have had some cat milk and a bit of honey," he says. "But they seem very stressed, fearful and extremely weak - Ema doesn't even weigh three kilos.

"We hope the rescue was in time, and that with our expert care the cubs can pull through and recover."

Ema was discovered after the family posted details of acquiring and keeping the bear on Facebook. She was confiscated by local police and Environment Ministry staff.

Private keeping of brown bears was banned in Kosovo in 2010. The FOUR PAWS sanctuary in Prishtina was built for 13 of the country's illegally kept restaurant bears in 2013.

Image © VIER PFOTEN/ FOUR PAWS/ Hazir Reka