Boston, MA, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — This year’s March Napness wrapped up its final week with a claw‑biting finish. FOUR PAWS USA is thrilled to announce that, in an unprecedented twist, rescued bears Amelia and Meimo have both claimed the title of Sleepiest Bear of 2026. Sharing a den and waking in sync, the pair emerged at the same time—edging out their last competitor by just a few days.
FOUR PAWS USA, the Boston‑based office of the global organization, coordinates March Napness each year. This lighthearted, bracket‑style tournament honors the longest sleepers among the organization’s rescued bears. Inspired by the excitement of the NCAA’s March Madness tournament, March Napness invites participants to fill out brackets predicting which bear will sleep the longest— aka the last to wake from winter rest.
This year’s competition featured 22 charismatic bears, each with a unique rescue story and hibernation style. All participating bears were rescued from inappropriate or exploitative conditions—including tourist attractions, roadside zoos, private ownership, and circuses. Today, they live lives full of dignity and care, while most importantly having the freedom to rest.
FOUR PAWS, a leader in wild animal rescue, has long worked to save the world’s saddest bears, including Amelia and Meimo. The organization operates wild animal sanctuaries around the globe, including six bear sanctuaries across Europe, providing rescue bears with expert care for the rest of their lives. These six bear sanctuaries host the March Napness competitors.
The 2026 March Napness competition mirrored its college basketball counterpart, with upsets and knockouts dominating the bracket. Bear Hope, a 14‑year‑old resident of BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina in Kosovo and beloved for her unique yoga poses, joined the competition for the first time and was dubbed this year’s “rookie”. Bear Tomi, Hope’s partner and last year’s co‑runner‑up, was among staff favorites to win, however, hopes were dashed as Hope and Tomi woke up in week 5.
Although Amelia and Meimo’s story now has a wonderfully happy ending, their beginnings were very different. For 13 years, the pair lived in a private mini‑zoo near a restaurant in Albania. These tourist attractions were once so common in the region that the bears became known as “restaurant bears.” FOUR PAWS advocated for bears across Albania and negotiated their surrender. Amelia and Meimo became some of the last restaurant bears in the country once FOUR PAWS rescued them and transported them 1,513 miles to their forever home at Arosa Bear Sanctuary in Switzerland. It has now been seven years since their first winter at Arosa, where they began hibernating. Today, after seven weeks of March Napness and months of hibernation, the pair have officially been crowned the Sleepiest Bears.
March Napness has been featured in publications such as PEOPLE, USA Today, NPR, and CNN. FOUR PAWS has also collaborated with artist and viral sensation Billy Murphy, whose whimsical bear illustrations of March Napness bears were recently featured on trending culture site Bored Panda. The organization hopes this celebration of hibernation inspires everyone to learn more about bears and the many ways to support ongoing rescue and protection efforts worldwide. To learn about this March Napness and the bears, check the March Napness page for all the sleepy action.
- Amelia and Meimo. ©Stiftung Arosa Bären | VIER PFOTEN