Feb 2021 Sanctuary Updates

Good news! The female moon bears we recently rescued in Vietnam after 18 years on a bile farm are recovering well. In January they were adopted & named - welcome Isabella & Mumslee.

Some sad news...in January we bid farewell to moon bears Morris Moonbeam & Teddy in Laos. Morris Moonbeam was the heaviest bear we've ever rescued - over 280kg when rescued in 2011 - twice the weight of a healthy bear & blind (possibly due to maltreatment). In late 2019 a specialist vet team from the UK had donated their time to perform cataract surgery on Morris & partially restore his vision. We believe the past few months had been the happiest of his life.

Isabella, Mumslee, Teddy & Morris Moonbeam all spent years locked in small cages prior to their rescue. It is difficult to imagine their suffering. But thanks to you they were given a second chance at life, to feel safe, enjoy good times & learn to trust again. Please enjoy the above video with some of the moments you made possible. A huge bear hug & thank you for your support.

 

Despite the lack of visitors to the sanctuaries, our teams have been busy working on much-needed renovations & scheduled projects. In Cambodia, the roof of Bear House 5 had to be replaced, enclosures upgraded & a herbal medicine garden has been built as part of an education grant. 

Bear House 4 in Vietnam (funded by the Marching Animal Welfare Trust & our 2to0by2020 crowdfunder) has commenced construction. Bear Houses 5 (funded by Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Wroclaw Zoo & our 2to0by2020 crowdfunder) & Bear House 6 (funded by a generous private donor) at the Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary are rapidly taking shape. New bear houses will allow for additional rescues of bears from bile farms & the illegal wildlife trade.

Our education team in Laos hosted 5 Team Spirit days in January, educating groups from the local community about the importance of wildlife conservation & the work of Free the Bears.

We're fortunate that in-person fundraising events are starting to become possible again in some parts of the world as lockdowns are lifted. Our wonderful group of bear-lovers in Adelaide held a very successful "Bring On 2021" dinner, raising over A$2,100 - great effort! In Perth market stalls have commenced & the team in Cambodia held a successful movie night. Thank you to everyone for your support - learn more about how to get involved here!


In case you missed our "10 Good Reasons to Feel Better About 2020" video:

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