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URGENT: Please help Free the Bears rescue & care for 16 bears cubs

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I love the charity Free the Bears.  They are an Australian wildlife conservation and animal welfare organization and they work with local communities and governments in Asia to help sun bears, moon bears (Asiatic black bears) and sloth bears.  

 Sun bears and moon bears (also cared for by Free the Bears are endangered, listed on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable to extinction.  

Sun bears are the smallest of all bears, but they have a tongue which is 30cm long (that’s a foot!), huge paws and a sun-shaped patch on their chest which gives them their name. 

Sun bears are excellent climbers – they live in tropical forests in South East Asia.  There they spend more time than other bears in trees, and make nests there.  They are crucial for seed dispersal and  pest control. The problem sun bears have is that they have lost 60% of their land due to habitat destruction and over-exploitation.  Not only that, they are hunted for their paws and their gallbladders – these are sold on the black market. 


So they need protecting.

As governments work to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, so Free the Bears has more to do, rescuing bears who have been held captive for bear bile farming, educating the public, looking after the bears they have rescued – so far 950 in all.  As more bear bile farms close and Free the Bears rescue those bears, so they need to build more enclosures.   These bears have been captive, in some cases for a very long time.  They cannot go into the wild upon release – they need gentle, loving and knowledgeable expert care, sometimes for ever.

And this is where the urgent appeal comes in.

URGENT APPEAL to help 16 cubs!

Free the Bears need urgent help from us all (19th March 2024).  Their government partners in Vientiane in Laos have captured a major wildlife tracker.   And 17 orphaned endangered bear cubs were in his possession.  Tragically, one of them has already died.  Free the Bears think this the largest seizure of its kind in history, and of course the cubs are vulnerable and in need of help.  

Please help Free the Bears help these 16 endangered bear cubs
Please help Free the Bears help these 16 endangered bear cubs 
by making a donation.  
Image ©Free the Bears

Free the Bears’ team are moving quickly to reach the cubs and give them the care and help they need.  But their resources are stretched thin and they need our help. 

Donations will help Free the Bears do these things:

  • Give immediate medical attention and care to the orphaned cubs
  • Procure essential supplies – food, medication, specialised equipment
  • Support on-going conservation efforts to protect both bears and their habitats in the years ahead.

Sun Bears and Moon Bears have bear necessities

  • They need a healthy diet of fresh fruit and vegetables, with dog biscuits for protein and also pulses and grains
  • They are clever so they need a variety of enrichment activities to stimulate their minds
  • They love to have their own space so they have climbing platforms and hammocks – most bears don’t see other bears in the forest;  they are very private
  • Many of the bears need veterinary care, some for a while.  Remember that many have been used for bear bile farming – a needle has been injected into their gallbladders to access their bile whilst the bears have been drugged
  • Their enclosures have an environment that’s as near as possible to the natural habitat the bears would normally enjoy – these enclosures need maintaining.

 Of course, this all costs.

 To help fund their work, Free the Bears are developing Volunteer Programmes and Bear Care Tours.   And they have fundraisers working hard to help raise funds.  And there's plenty we can all do to help!


This bear cub was rescued in March 2023.

Free the Bears need help! 

If you’re looking for a meaningful gift for a bear lover that will really make a difference, or you simply want to get involved and help, you could help the bears that Free the Bears are looking after:

  • Be a bear carer – there are different levels available from £5.00 a month. 
  • Sponsor a bear (£240 for a year)
  • Send a gift to the bears such as a jar of honey, a hammock, a climbing frame, a cub care kit donation, a bathing pool donation, a treat ball donation
  • Send a gift for a bear lover to your human!
  • Simply donate!
  • Take part in Night in a Cage on 13th April 2024 (or a night to suit you) and raise funds for Free the Bears - or you could sponsor someone who is doing it.   Find out more here.

Send rescued bears a pot of honey!
Send rescued bears a pot of honey for £11.00
Image ©Free the Bears

Want to become a Bear Carer?

There are four levels and I quote (pretty much)

  1. BEAR ANGELS (£50/mth) provide a healthy diet for 20 days, enrichment to stimulate minds, vet care, hammocks and pools.

  2. BEAR CARERS (£25/mth) provide a healthy diet for 10 days, enrichment treats to stimulate the bears' complex minds or vital veterinary care.

  3. CUB CARERS (£13/mth) provide the vital specialist care required for vulnerable cubs which come into Free the Bears' care after their mothers have been killed by hunters.

  4. BEAR BUDDIES (£5/mth) provide a healthy diet for 2 days or help provide daily enrichment treats to stimulate the complex minds of the bears.

You can pay in a number of currencies, including Euros and American or Canadian dollars, and Australian dollars. 

Whatever you do, please do something to help.

The bears need us all to act.  They have been rescued and they need our help to ensure they get all the wonderful loving care and attention they need for the rest of their lives.

Visit Free the Bears' website here.

 

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