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!

Our Volunteer Coordinator Jen has been shooting some amazing Facebook Live videos from the Cambodia Bear Sanctuary. Click on the links here to see:
 Tom-Tom the world's only known sun bear-moon bear hybrid (wild born),
Brandy (possibly the world's most beautiful moon bear?), 
A sun bear in a nest (did you know sun bears build nests in the trees?)

ADELAIDE (Australia) COORDINATOR NEEDED: We're still looking for help to coordinate implementation of our wonderful Adelaide events - stalls at expos, bingo & quiz nights, & movie fundraisers. We already have a lovely & committed group of volunteers willing to help with these events however we need a volunteer coordinator(s) to communicate with the team & liaise with the Perth head office. Don’t worry, you won’t be alone - support is given from head office, the Adelaide volunteer team, and current coordinators Krys & Alan will be around to lend a hand. If you are interested in this very rewarding and fun opportunity, please email: office@freethebears.org.au Thank you!

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

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