In 2007, Bears in Mind and Stiftung für Bären started receiving complaints from both international as well as Czech tourists regarding the mental and physical state of bears in Czech castle moats. Most of the complaints described insufficient conditions and stereotypies in the bear moat of the Český Krumlov Castle. In 2021 Bears in Mind and Stiftung für Bären formed a coalition with the main aim to gradually end bear keeping at Czech castles.
In June 2023 the founders achieved a breakthrough in negotiations when they met with the management of the Český Krumlov Castle, and importantly with the deputy director of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ). This institute falls directly under the Czech Ministry of Culture and is responsible for the management of Czech state monuments and castles. During the first meeting with the deputy director, Mr. Pešek, the coalition handed over the petition, shared their views and proposed solutions.
In May 2024 the coalition and the NPÚ signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to mark the start of the gradual end of keeping bears at Czech state castles.
Moreover, they joined forces with researchers from the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague (CZ) and researchers from the Institute of Nature Conservation PAN (PL) to design independent research in order to assess public opinion regarding bear keeping at Czech castle moats. As of 2024, the research is ongoing. Its preliminary results were presented at the 28th International Conference for Bear Research and Management in Edmonton (CA) in September 2024 bringing international attention to the project.