Brian Crudge

Regional Director

Brian Crudge is Regional Director of Free the Bears, where he directs programme activities aimed at protecting threatened bears in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

With a Master’s Degree in International Wildlife Trade & Conservation, Brian has almost 20 years of dedicated experience in wildlife conservation in Southeast Asia, starting with a pilot bear release project in Northern Laos.

Committed to evidence-based conservation practices, Brian has dedicated much of the past two decades to spearheading research projects focused on improving understanding of Asiatic black bears and sun bears in the region.

As an active member of the IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group, Brian played a lead role in developing the Sun Bear Conservation Action Plan – the first range-wide action plan for any terrestrial bear species, integrating in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts.

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