SEPTEMBER 2016
21 YEARS
OF PROTECTING BEARS
BEARS’
PRINT
FREE THE BEARS NEWSLETTER
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
SPOTLIGHT ON the Hmong and the Highlander
FOCUS ON bringing home the bile farm bears
FREE THE BEARS aims to
protect, preserve and enrich
the lives of bears throughout
the world.
For orphaned cubs like Arya Stark a rescue can
mean upwards of 30 years of care
MESSAGE FROM MARY
Dear Members, Supporters and Friends,
What does it mean to “rescue” a bear? The
dictionary definition is that to “rescue” is to
“help someone or something out of a dangerous,
harmful, or unpleasant situation”. Based on this
definition it could be assumed that the task of
rescuing a bear ends the moment that it arrives
at our sanctuary - it is no longer in a dangerous,
harmful or unpleasant situation and therefore it is
rescued? Certainly there are some organisations
that would argue that this definition is correct,
however for everyone at Free the Bears the rescue
of an animal means so much more. It means
days, weeks, months and years of care...decades
if necessary, ensuring that the bear remains free
from unpleasant situations. It means constantly
striving to do everything we can to ensure that
- for as long as that animal is reliant on human
care - it shall receive nothing but the very best. It
means constantly reviewing our own practises and
standards to raise the benchmark not only in our
own sanctuaries but also within others that we support, and at a
wider level worldwide. Ultimately, if an animal was born in the wild
and taken from the wild illegally, its rescue surely continues until
the day it can return to the wild?
We often receive requests asking for our help in rescuing bears
around the world and it is heartbreaking to see the conditions being
endured by so many individual animals in roadside menageries,
resorts and private residences. Of course our immediate reaction is
to want to help, to do anything that we can to rescue those animals
and bring them to a safe place where they cannot be harmed.
Unfortunately more than two decades of experience have shown
us that a rescue can be worthless unless there is a strategy in
place to either return the animal to the wild (in a way that meets
international standards and ensures the welfare of the bear) or to
care for that bear for the rest of its natural life. Unless we can be
sure of that animal being out of dangerous, harmful or unpleasant
situations beyond the initial rescue, is this the best use of our
limited resources?
Today Free the Bears has active programmes
and partnerships in six countries throughout
South and Southeast Asia. In India we
worked in partnership with Wildlife SOS
and International Animal Rescue to end the
dancing bear trade, rescuing over 600 bears
in just seven years. With the dancing bear
trade over, it would have been very easy to pat
ourselves on the back and move onto the next
campaign. Instead our partnership has stood
the test of time and all three organisations
continue to work together to guarantee that
each of those rescued bears continues to be
cared for to the very best of our ability for the
rest of its life. Because only by doing this can we
consider those bears to have truly been rescued.
In Vietnam, through the Vietnam Bear
Working Group, we collaborate with a number
of other stakeholders to end the practise of
bear bile farming. With more than 1,000 bears remaining in bear
bile farms across Vietnam the issue is too great for any single
organisation to tackle and so our efforts compliment each others
work with different groups focused on specific geographical
or strategic areas. In Cambodia and Laos we’re the only group
focused specifically on bear rescue and care but our work would
be impossible without the support of others working in areas such
as wildlife law enforcement and protected area management.
With more than 900 rescues to date, I’m incredibly proud to think
that Free the Bears has played - and continues to play - a vital role
in the rescue of more bears than probably any other organisation
on the planet. I’m also humbled by the knowledge that none of this
would have been possible without the support of so many others.
And most of all I’m incredibly appreciative of all the support that
we’ve received from people like you over more than two decades of
bear rescues!
With much love and bear hugs,
Mary
Membership Means So Much! Memberships play a vital role for the fund. Membership fees cover our minimal administrative costs,
thereby allowing 100% of donations to go directly to the bears. This helps guarantee the bears in our various sanctuaries around
the world a safe, peaceful and happy existence. 1-year and 3-year Memberships are available now, but please consider our Life
Memberships to show your commitment to the bears. All members will receive a complimentary Raju soft toy, certificate and invitations
to exclusive Free the Bears events. Costs for membership are just Initial $60/Renewal $35/Life $325
page 02
UPDATES FROM THE FIELD
CAMBODIA
Squeka enjoying banana leaf enrichment at the Quarantine Area
It is worrying that even after working for almost two decades
to end the illegal trade and exploitation of bears in Cambodia
we still continue to see a steady stream of new arrivals into our
sanctuary each year. Over the past few months another three
cubs have been rescued and brought into our care - continuing
the seemingly endless cycle of feed-clean-sleep-repeat that our
wonderful Cub Nursery team have perfected so well. We are
now approaching our 200th rescue in Cambodia - an incredible
milestone that is somewhat bittersweet knowing how many
mother bears must have been killed and how many other cubs
have doubtless slipped through the net and faced a fate that
simply doesn't bear thinking about.
Having completed her quarantine, Cambodia Rescue 191 the young female cub that had been kept for some time at
a provincial prison - was moved to Bear House 2 and slowly
introduced to Bearzilla, Blue, Alfie, Pooh and Soriya Sundance.
This rambunctious gang occupy the Stage 2 nursery enclosure
that surrounds our volunteer office - providing endless
entertainment as we watch them playing in the new wood mulch,
climbing their watch-tower and enthusiastically destroying
anything they can get their teeth and claws into! The space in
our Quarantine area vacated by CR-191 was soon occupied by a
young pair of Moon bear brothers who had spent the first year of
their lives trapped in a tiny cage as pets in a private residence on
the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Working with Cambodian Forestry
Administration officers our team were able to safely transfer the
cubs out of their filthy cage and onto our truck for the 50km
journey down to the sanctuary. Once settled they will undergo
health checks and then - all being well - should be able to form
a group of "mini-Moonies" together with Cambodia Rescue 189
(recently given her lifelong name "Essee") and Cambodia Rescue
192 (who also recently received his lifelong name "Squeka").
Nearby in the Cub Nursery Cambodia Rescue 193 has continued
to grow well under the care of Mr Heng and the team - from
less than 2kg when she arrived in May she now weighs over
15kg already. This fearless little female was given the name
page 03
of "Arya Stark" (after the character in Game of Thrones) by
one of our supporters visiting the sanctuary with fellow World
Expedition travellers in June. Arya now enjoys daily walks in
the forest with Heng and is able to learn many of the skills that
she would have naturally learned from her mother. Had Arya
remained in the wild she would have enjoyed around two years
with her mothers undivided attention before the arrival new
cubs would have forced her to strike out on her own and take
on the solitary lifestyle typical for Sun bears. Unfortunately for
Arya the gap between cubs is far shorter for Mr Heng than it
is for a wild mother bear and so she is already having to share
Heng's attention with our latest arrival - Cambodia Rescue 196
- who was brought to the sanctuary late in the evening of 2nd
September 2016. Named "Hank" by generous supporters in the
UK, our latest arrival was another victim of the demand for trophy
pets before he was rescued by the Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team.
He is likely to be only a few months old and so he, like so many
before him, is receiving around the clock care from our tireless
team, supported by so many incredibly generous supporters
around the world.
Of course our older residents at the sanctuary also demand a lot
of attention and, with the number of bears in our care growing
each year, our vet teams and Bear Care Crews are constantly
striving to provide all of our bears, young and old, with the very
best quality of life. In August we were joined by Francis Cabana,
Wildlife Nutritionist at Wildlife Reserves Singapore, to help review
our bears diets as part of continuing work to provide as near
natural diet as possible whilst recognising that we can never
find enough termites to feed almost 100 Sun bears each day!
Our veterinary team was also kept busy with numerous health
checks for bears such as Tom-tom, Buddy, Jude, Jodie, Lux and
Romdool. Sadly we lost some old friends to TB (see page 7),
a horrible disease that poses a threat to all of the bears at the
sanctuary and so our vets are working on a management plan
to help minimise the risk of this deadly bacteria spreading any
further.
Essee checking out her new neighbours in our Quarantine Area
UPDATES FROM THE FIELD
Our strategy for ending the illegal trade in bears in Laos includes education for a new generation
LAOS
Boats, bile and the B.E.A.R-mobile in action!
Just as the last newsletter was going to
press we received our 43rd rescue in Laos
- a young male Moon bear cub that had
been held as a tourist attraction in Luang
Prabang province. We'd been receiving
reports of this cub - and another that
sadly passed away before the rescue took
place - for several months and had been
working with our partners in the Provincial
Agriculture and Forestry Office to secure
the paperwork necessary to confiscate
the cub from the owner who refused to
hand it over. The rescue involved travel
by road, then boat, and finally hiking to
the cubs location - our dedicated team
worked throughout the day to ensure the
cub was kept comfortable and stress-free
(see pictures on page 8). Due to its small
size it spent its first weeks being cared for
around-the-clock at our office - earning
itself the nickname "Kung Fu" due to
his enthusiasm for playfighting. Once he
had gained a bit of weight and we were
confident of his survival Kung
Fu was transferred to join the
other three cubs that were
rescued earlier this year at Tat
Kuang Si.
in September. Our team have worked
so hard to get us to this point - holding
meetings with numerous government
departments throughout Luang Prabang
and Vientiane - and so we hope for
construction to commence on site as soon
as possible. Our thanks go out to everyone
who donated following our special appeal
in the last issue of the Bears' Print - we're
now close to reaching the target amount
required to purchase the land but still
need support for development of the
bear houses, forest enclosures and other
infrastructure that will turn this into a
students and tour guides to spend a day
with the bears, learning their histories
and what steps can be taken to protect
their cousins in the wild. In August the
ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Assembly
(AIPA) met for the first time to discuss
legislative improvements to counter
wildlife trafficking in the region and paid a
visit to Tat Kuang Si to meet our bears and
see the impact of the illegal wildlife trade
first-hand (http://www.aipasecretariat.
org/asean-convenes-regions-first-everlegislative-caucus-wildlife-protection/).
We also recently partnered with the
Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry in Vientiane to
raid three markets trading
in wildlife products on the
outskirts of Vang Vieng. This
popular tourist town sees many
With the number of bears at
thousands of visitors from
Tat Kuang Si now increased
neighbouring countries such
to 38 animals (in a site that
as China and Vietnam passing
was designed to hold around
through each day. Illegally
25 bears) our team have been
poached bear cubs are often
kept extra busy ensuring that
seen at these markets, as
everyone enjoys the maximum
are bear paws (used for soup
freedom possible. Additional
or wine), gallbladders, teeth
staff have been employed to
And enforcement of wildlife law infringements - such as these dried gallbladders
and claws. The raids were a
allow us to divide the working
openly on sale at roadside wildlife markets
huge success, resulting in the
day into early and late shifts
confiscation of many wildlife
- meaning that the bears
products, including over 50 gallbladders
can spend as much time in their forest
world-class bear sanctuary.
reported to be from bears. Several repeat
enclosures as possible. Infrastructure
Our efforts to end the cruel practise of
offenders were charged whilst 40+ traders
repairs to the water system have ensured
bear bile farming and the illegal trade
signed agreements committing them
that everyone can enjoy a cooling dip
in bear body parts drive all our activities
to cease trading in wildlife products.
whenever they want, and new climbing
in Laos - both within the sanctuary
Although no live animals were found
towers and toys have been added to
and beyond. At Tat Kuang Si our visitor
during the raid this operation sent out a
all the enclosures to keep the bears
education facilities have been enhanced
strong message to poachers and illegal
physically and mentally stimulated. With
with the addition of a new information
wildlife traders in the area that their
the nursery groups growing fast our need
point in the core of the sanctuary, with
activities would no longer be tolerated
for the new sanctuary is literally growing
LCD displays showcasing our work
and sets an exciting precedent for greater
daily and so we were thrilled to hear that
and the threats to bears in Laos. Our
enforcement of Laos' wildlife laws in
the provincial authorities had signed the
official papers approving the masterplan
coming months.
education programme has welcomed both
page 04
UPDATES FROM THE FIELD
INDIA
The last few months have brought bright
sunshine and heavy rain to our bear
centres, with the atmosphere somehow
syncing up with the weather- we’ve had
some lows and sad news lately.
When our team from the Bannerghatta
Bear Rescue Centre found Champ lying in
a stream in the Kabal district of Karnataka
at the beginning of August we could barely
believe our eyes. Despite being a fullgrown sloth bear, he looked shrunken and
terrified. He was barely moving, and had
it not been for his agonised whimpering
we would have thought he was dead.
We wouldn’t have been completely off
the mark, as Champ was on the brink of
death, in excruciating pain and agony,
after accidentally consuming a crude,
country-made explosive device that had
been left out by poachers, hidden in food,
possibly to kill wild boar. In a sickening
twist, this cruel device was stumbled upon
by this unsuspecting sloth bear, and had
left him in dire straits. What followed was
an intense series of surgical procedures
to remove the shrapnel and fragments
of his shattered maxilla from Champ’s
skull. He couldn’t eat, and had to be
fed intravenously as his mouth wouldn’t
open wide enough for a feeding tube. We
considered euthanasia, and discussed it
extensively, but we felt we ought to give
this strong, spirited bear the chance to
fight for his life. Champ fought hard but,
sadly, he succumbed to his injuries in
mid-August despite our best efforts to
save him. It is devastating that human
insensitivity and cruelty are the reason he
is no longer with us, but we take some
solace in knowing that he is in a better
place, and that for the last days of his life
we had a chance to give him at least some
of the love and care he deserved
Meanwhile, up north at the Agra Bear
Rescue Facility, it was moving day for the
baby bears! Our rescued cub from last
year, Elvis is all grown up now and so it
was time to introduce him to one of the
larger free-range enclosures and to some
of the older bears. We’re also ready to
relocate our wild cub Rose, rescued in
January of this year after losing her leg,
and her mother, to a poaching snare.
Rose is ready to move to a larger, freerange space, and although designing an
enclosure that can hold this feisty little
wild cub will require substantial funding,
we’re excited to see her exploring her new
space and enrichments.
So Elvis was moved in with the sibling
pair, Bean and Bintha, and everyone was
excited (and a little nervous) to see how
the introduction would go. After Elvis
had been given a chance to explore the
enclosure for a while without the other
two residents, Bean and Bintha were let
back in to meet their new companion. We
were thrilled to find that Bean took almost
immediately to the new bear! Bintha,
however, ambled towards a corner of the
enclosure and watched sullenly from her
vantage point as her brother played with
Elvis on the platforms in the enclosure.
Initially worried that Bintha would not take
to Elvis, the keepers kept an eye on the
trio for a while. Eventually though, Bintha
seemed to give in and make the effort
to go introduce herself to Elvis, and the
two bonded almost instantly from that
moment. Playful and naughty, Elvis seems
to be the perfect fit in Bean and Bintha’s
little gang, and the three can now be seen
playing together constantly, only taking a
break for their meals!
Elvis and Bintha - friends at last!
page 05
UPDATES FROM THE FIELD
Shaking off the past and looking towards a brighter future in Vietnam
VIETNAM
In June 2014 Free the Bears signed a new Project Agreement
to create a brand new, state-of-the-art bear sanctuary within
Cat Tien National Park. The existing sanctuary had grown
overcrowded and the Park authorities wanted to create a more
spacious home for rescued bears on a new site set within 10
hectares of lush forest located around 3km from the Park
headquarters. Over the past two years plans and drawings for
the new sanctuary have been submitted, environmental impact
assessments completed and various regulatory hurdles have
been cleared. All this while the 35 rescued bears at Cat Tien
National Park have been waiting patiently for their new home.
In July our dreams came a step closer towards becoming a
reality with the official stamp of approval finally received from
authorities in Hanoi. For our team who have been working
in Vietnam - juggling groups of bears to ensure they spend a
minimal time confined to dens and knowing that so many more
bears are still confined to bile farms awaiting rescue - the wait
has at times been excruciating. Work immediately began on
clearing the sites for the first two bear houses, the new site
is covered in dense jungle which we hope to disturb as little
as possible during the construction phase as this will be so
appreciated by bears that have spent so much of their lives in
sterile environments.
Once completed, the new sanctuary will not only allow us
to give every bear at Cat Tien daily access to natural forest
enclosures, we will also be able to begin rescuing further
bears from bile farms as part of the effort to end this trade
in Vietnam. With support from Weltierschutzgesellschaft
and our partners at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
(RZSS) and Noahs Crossing Veterinary Clinic, full health
checks were carried out on more than 30 of the bears recently
as part of the preliminary work towards relocating the bears.
Over nine days each bear was anaesthetised, given a thorough
clinical examination, blood tests, dental check and ultrasound
examination, allowing our team to draw up individual veterinary
management plans for each bear and prioritise which animals
should be moved to the new site first.
In June the bears received a boost when a group of passionate
supporters spent several days working at the sanctuary as
part of their World Expeditions adventure. Comfortable new
hammocks were woven, raised platforms for resting were built
and many of the participants arrived clutching special treats
and toys for the bears. Our thanks go out to all of the group
for working so hard to improve the lives of these bears - the
impact of your visit continues to brighten up their days long
after you returned home!
Our World Expeditions group show why it is so urgent to create a new sanctuary in Vietnam
page 06
NEW LOVES
AND SAD LOSSES
With over 500 bears reliant on our care in sanctuaries
today each month we welcome new arrivals with open
arms whilst shedding a tear for those who leave us.
Here are just a few of our newest arrivals and some
sad losses from the past few months;
Cambodia Rescue 194 - spent almost a year in a tiny cage before being handed
over to our care
R.I.P. Champ who put up such a fight for survival but could not survive the
injuries sustained by the blast to his face
Cambodia rescue 195 - rescued with his brother and now recovering in our
Quarantine Area
R.I.P. Win - one of our beloved trio of bad boys - joined his friends Oscar and
Fortnum in the great forest in the sky
Welcome Cambodia Rescue 196 - now given his lifelong name of Hank
RIP Fortnum who sadly contracted TB and joined his friends Oscar and Win at
the tender age of just 5 years old
Leaving a Legacy for Our Bears:
At the very core of Free the Bears is the belief that the actions of individuals can make a difference and help ensure the survival of bears in
danger of extinction. What better way to demonstrate this than by leaving a legacy to help us provide a safe future filled with love for all the
bears in our care as well as the ones who will need us in years to come?
With each new arrival we accept responsibility for providing life-long care if needed - potentially for >40years. Over the past 21 years many
kind-hearted individuals have helped ensure that we are able to continue to provide world-class sanctuaries and the very best care to bears
in need. We thank each one of these wonderful people from the bottom of our hearts.
If you are considering leaving a legacy to Free the Bears, please contact us for more information
at [email protected] or call the Perth office on (08) 9244 096
page 07
SPOTLIGHT ON
Una helping settle in Laos Rescue 43
- nicknamed Kung Fu
THE HMONG AND
THE HIGHLANDER
Lar bringing home our latest rescue in Laos
Laos is the most ethnically diverse
country in mainland Southeast Asia so
it should come as no surprise that our
team there - although relatively small - are
a pretty diverse bunch themselves. In
total we have four nationalities - Laotian,
Australian, British and Irish - and within
the Laotians we have a mix of Lao,
Hmong and Khmu ethnic groups. Despite
language barriers and cultural differences,
everyone who visits our sanctuary remarks
on how well the team works together each fulfilling their different roles and
ready to lend a hand whenever their
colleagues need assistance.
Lar, our Project Officer, has been with
Free the Bears since 2014 after previously
working as a tour guide for Laos' premier
eco-tourism company. Having visited our
sanctuary at Tat Kuang Si with guests
many times over the years he jumped at
the chance when a position arose on our
team and since then he hasn't looked
back. Being Hmong, one of the main
ethnic groups in Laos with a reputation as
hard-working and skilled in handicrafts,
Lars' favourite job is building new
enrichment toys for the bears and this is
visible everywhere you go in the sanctuary
page 08
- with woven hammocks, rope-wrapped
swinging logs and spinning barrel feeders
filling the forest enclosures. Lar is the
perfect combination of a people-person
with great affinity for animals, overseeing
the day-to-day running of the sanctuary
and general welfare of the bears whilst
always making himself available to help
guide a school group along the Forest &
Wildlife Trail or offer visitors a few insights
into the personalities of our bears.
Una, our Technical Advisor, hails from
Ireland originally but has been working
with wildlife in the steaming tropics
of Singapore to the frozen tundra of
Canada and everywhere in between for
almost 30 years. Having followed our
work for several years Una applied for
a one-year sabbatical from her position
as Headkeeper at the RZSS Highland
Wildlife Park in Scotland where, amongst
other species, she cares for several Polar
bears. In what is a fairly typical story for
anyone joining our team Una arrived in
Cambodia last November expecting to
spend a month with our team at Phnom
Tamao before heading across to Vietnam
to work with the bears at Cat Tien. The
sudden flurry of cub rescues in the final
months of 2015 meant that her skills
were better placed in Laos and so, after
a lightening tour of the Cambodian Bear
Sanctuary, she was back on a plane and
headed for Luang Prabang! Since landing
(with her head "spinning from jetlag and
sensory overload") Una has spent the
past year working closely with Lar and
the rest of the Bear Care Crew, helping
oversee the introduction of new bears to
social groups and training the team in all
of the skills required to become firstclass caregivers. With her "grown-up gap
year" coming to an end Una is preparing
herself for the reverse culture-shock that
will no doubt come when she returns
to Scotland after having spent so much
time in Luang Prabang. Her replacement,
Adam, recently arrived from ZSL London
Zoo on a year-long sabbatical from his role
as a Team Leader. We'll certainly all miss
Una but feel quite sure that we'll see her
back in Southeast Asia soon - these bears
have a way of getting to good people who
share our vision of a world without bear
bile farming!
Welcome onboard Adam and thanks for
all your help Una!
FUNDRAISINGUPDATES
NEW SOUTH WALES
By Jeanette Akkanen
Tel: 0421 109 166
Email: [email protected]
We held a very successful fundraiser at “Lentil as Anything” in
Newtown during August. The food was delicious, and the staff
so helpful. Our volunteers all pitched in and worked hard on the
night, raising over $5,000 by the end of the evening. Many thanks
to all those who donated goods for the auction, raffle and came
along and spent their hard earned cash on the auction. Special
thanks to Lesley Small for giving a great presentation and also to
our youngest volunteer Isabella Thomas who made a killing selling
raffle tickets.
In July our group had a social outing attending “Christmas in July”
held by the Good Samaritan Donkey Sanctuary in Clarencetown.
We had a great bus driver and a beautiful day out - raising $205
for the bears in the process. Regular fundraisers such as Beth and
Phil Roffe’s chocolate drive and Paul Sillato’s sales of Tilley Soaps
continue to be popular - raising much-needed funds to support
the bears in our sanctuaries. We also recently found a home for
one of our life-sized Sun bear donation stands in Westfield at
Miranda in the shop “Embrace”. We still have another Sun bear
donation stand looking for a home so if you can help place her in
a prominent location such as your local vet, shop or office please
contact Jeanette?
a great start to the Christmas season so be sure to mark Saturday
26th November in your diaries and see the Events Calendar on the
back page for more details!
Our meetings are held on 2nd Saturday of every 2nd month next
being 8th October all members welcome. If you would like to
help or attend any of the above please contact me for more details
[email protected]
QUEENSLAND
By Jarrod Schenk
Tel: 0431 291 907
Email: [email protected]
Here in Queensland we were very excited to open a special Free
the Bears education area at Wildlife HQ - Queensland Zoo. As
Queensland’s only Sun bear Maly is one of the most popular animals
at Wildlife HQ. Born to parents Jamran and Bopha at Perth Zoo after
they were rescued from the illegal wildlife trade in Cambodia, Maly is
helping share her parents incredible story of survival to thousands of
zoo visitors each year. There is plenty of information for all ages and
we hope this will help raise the profile of our very threatened Sun
bears. Special thanks to Senior Lecturer Kevin Todd and his team
of students at the University of the Sunshine Coast for their help in
creating the information graphics for this new area.
Our stall at the annual Pet Fest at Holroyd Gardens was a big hit
thanks to volunteers Beth, Phil and Heather Robertson, whilst Deb
Kosh ran the city to surf and raised over $700 for the bears this
year. Thanks Deb!
We’re very pleased to announce that our wonderful Joan Pearson
will once again be throwing open the doors of her beautiful home
in Mosman in order that we can raise the funds to build a beautiful
home for bears in Laos. The fundraising luncheon promises to be
Our volunteers Mel, Helena and Vanessa celebrate being awarded 1st prize for the
champion community organisation site at the 2016 Royal Adelaide Show for the
second year running
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
By Pauline Cockrill
Tel: 0427 523 675
Email: [email protected]
In June volunteer Vicky Mackenzie held her 3rd successful
Trivia Night at Unley Community Centre which was well attended
and raised around $3000 for the bears. Huge thanks to fellow
volunteer Caroline Liebich who did a sterling job as quizmaster for
the night. Sunny of course was busy keeping everyone entertained
especially with his memorable performance of Staying Alive. We
look forward to the 4th Trivia Night in November
(see back cover - Coming Events).
Isabella -champion fundraiser at Lentil as Anything
page 09
Despite a large number of our regular volunteers
being away or unavailable during early September
we managed to gather together a full roster for our
regular fundraising stand at the Royal Adelaide Show. Fifty-five
volunteers managed the stand in the Jubilee Pavilion, in three
daily shifts over the ten days. As usual Sunny was the draw card
while the new life-sized Mama & baby Sun bear collection box
also attracted attention and encouraged donations. We were very
excited to be awarded a Show ribbon and certificate for the second
year running for Champion Community Organisation site. We’re
also pleased to announce that around $12,000 was raised at the
Show, a record winning amount for our group.
We are now preparing for the launch of the fundraising art show
Bears Alive 21 at the Santos Centre - Adelaide Zoo (see Coming
Events) and the arrival of Mary Hutton and Alex Cearns for the
launch on 24 September which promises to be a fun, fundraising
night.
2nd Prize
$500 Petrol Voucher
3rd Prize
$250 Coles/Myer Voucher
Tickets are $2 each or $40 for a book of 20 tickets and raffle stalls will
be set up in the following shopping centres over the next few months:
Carousel 6th – 8th October
Carine Glades 13th – 16th October
Stockland Riverton 20th – 22nd October
Belmont Forum 26th – 28th October
Westfield Innaloo 3rd – 5th November
We are in need of volunteers to help run these stalls. If you are
available to help at any of these locations or wish to purchase raffle
tickets, we would love to hear from you - please contact Nicole at
[email protected] or 08 9244 1096.
ALBANY
Coordinator: Chris Offer
Tel: 08 9844 1973
Email: [email protected]
Update By: Janet Traylen
Tel: 08 9841 5140
Email: [email protected]
Young visitors to the Royal Adelaide Show meet Sunny and our life-sized Sun bear
donation stands
VICTORIA
By Kate Vella
Tel: 0422 044 960
Email: [email protected]
The Victorian committee held another successful cinema evening
event for opening night of The Legend of Tarzan movie, raising
$1041. Thank you to all who attended.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
By Nicole Arielli Tel: 08 9244 1096
Email: [email protected]
We were extremely pleased to find that our quiz night, held in June,
raised a whopping $13,200!! We would like to express our sincere
appreciation and gratitude to everyone who attended, donated,
purchased raffle tickets or silent auction items and of course to all the
volunteers who contributed to making the night a huge success.
East Hamersley Primary school has held an annual soft toy sale since
2004 to raise funds for Free the Bears. Most of the toys are donated
by the students and the students also donate a gold coin to wear free
dress for the day. This year they raised $398.60, a great amount for
such a small school of only 6 classes. A huge thank you to everyone
involved for caring for the bears.
Our annual raffle is underway with raffle tickets still available to
purchase and some great prizes on offer;
1st Prize 2-night stay at Hidden Valley Forest Retreat Eco Lodge in
Margaret River
page 10
Spot the Bear in amongst the Safety in Numbers choir
Blonde wigs, bling, boots and a BEAR filled both stage and audience
at our recent “How Much ABBA Can You Bear?” fundraiser.
Presented by local choir “Safety in Numbers”, this sing-along was
a huge success, with everyone dressing up, singing and dancing to
the music of yesteryear’s iconic band. MC Jill, snug in her new Sun
bear suit, was both a highlight and a chief organiser of the night, while
Christine Bowler mastered the food, drinks and decorating with her
usual superb skills. Well done, Jill and Christine.
Many thanks to choir coordinator Teresa Hughes and her glamorous
singers, to Albany Printers for providing flyers and tickets at no cost,
to Beyond Thermal for their generous gift vouchers, and to the Uniting
Church for minimal venue charges. Thanks also to Mary who spoke
about her trips to the sanctuaries, and to our vollies who helped on
the night, particularly new recruit Camille (who worked tirelessly
and then went home to feed her joey kangaroos!). Eternal gratitude
goes out to Sue who was a great help with the food, and to Colin,
whose tasks included going home twice to mend a broken hall door
lock! Last but not least, to our wonderful community who not only
supported the night but donated generously as well.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Our thanks go out once again to the
incredibly talented Alex Cearns of
Houndstooth Studio who led the recent
World Expeditions tour to our sanctuaries
in Vietnam and Cambodia. After observing
Bearzilla’s Stage 2 nursery group of young
Sun bears for just a short while Alex came
up with the idea of creating a single image
from multiple shots to visually capture the
activity within the group. The resulting image
- Bears Apartment Six - has not only proven
to be a smash hit with our supporters (raising
almost $10,000 to support our work) but
has already won several prestigious awards!
Well done Alex, and thanks to everyone who
purchased a print!
East Hamersley Primary School students participating in the soft toy sale fundraiser for Free the Bears
Our Fathers’ Day raffle was ably coordinated by
Christine B and raised $600, with donations of
$140. Thanks to IGA for allowing us to use their
premises, and to our members who sat outside
to sell tickets on those chilly winter days with
the wind whipping straight off the ocean. Our
two Mama Bears continue to capture people’s
attention and generate support, as do our
donation tins, all kindly provided for by our local
businesses.
Finally, it is with great sadness that we bid farewell
to our amazing bear-suit wearer, Jill, who leaves
us very soon for sunny Cairns. However we know
she will continue to support the bears and that
Albany’s loss will be Cairns’ gain. AND she’s going
to leave her bear-suit onesie behind for some
other lucky person to wear. They will be big paws
to fill indeed!
Following our special appeal for funds
to purchase the land required for a new
sanctuary in Laos last issue, several
generous supporters have come forward bringing us several steps closer towards our
dream of ending bear bile farming in Laos.
Special thanks go out to Mrs Muir, together
with Marion and David Horton in Tasmania,
plus Mr Kelvin Bartholomeusz in New
South Wales. In the UK we’ve also received
generous support from our friends at Hauser
Bears as well as the Sylvanus Trust to assist
with the land purchase. We still require
additional support for this vital project but
look forward to sharing exciting news from
Laos in the next issue of the Bears Print!
Photographic credits for this newsletter are
due to Alex Cearns, Peter Yuen, Wildlife SOS
and FTB staff and volunteers.
Cover Photo: Arya Stark, a 3-month old
rescued Sun bear cub, is clearly not phased
by the photographers lens. This beautiful
shot was taken by tour leader Alex Cearns
of Houndstooth Studio during the recent
World Expeditions visit to our Cambodia and
Vietnam sanctuaries, June 2016
PLEASE HELP US SAVE ON POSTAGE AND PAPER by
receiving the FTB newsletter and receipts via your
email. If your current email has changed or if you
have a new email address, please send it our way.
You’ll be helping us and the environment at the
same time. Email your details to
[email protected].
Part of the new Sun bear information zone at Wildlife HQ
page 11
GETINVOLVED
OCTOBER - COMING EVENTS
SA
BEARS ALIVE! ART EXHIBITION
Santos Conservation Centre, Adelaide Zoo
19th September - 17th October 2016, zoo
opening hours
Launch Party Saturday 24th September, 2016
Fundraising art show celebrating Free the Bears’
21 years of bear rescue featuring 21+ works
of art on a bear theme in a range of media by
both professional and amateur artists from
South Australia and interstate. Sale of works will
benefit Free the Bears (with 30% to Adelaide
Zoo)
Contact: Pauline Cockrill 0427 523675 or
[email protected]
SA
BEARS & BLOOMS 2
Urban Cow Studio, 11 Frome Street, Adelaide
SA 5000
5th – 29th October 2016
An exhibition and print exchange presented by
Bittondi Printmakers Association Inc. celebrating
the diversity of all plants and animals. Proceeds
from the sale of prints will be donated to Free
the Bears Fund. Mon-Thurs 10-6pm, Fri 109pm, Sat 10-5pm and Sun 12-5pm with the
opening event Sunday 9 October 2pm-4pm
Contact: Mary Pulford [email protected].
au
VIC
BINGO BONANZA
Richmond Union Bowling Club, 2 Gleadell St,
Richmond 3121
Saturday 15th October 2016, 7-11pm
Come along and support Free the Bears with
a night of Bingo! The night will include a light
dinner, drinks at bar prices, fabulous giveaways to the winners, a live and silent auction,
raffle, door prizes, merchandise for sale, games
to play and guest speakers including Nathan
Ferlazzo of Marini Ferlazzo who supports wildlife
conservation through his art. Tickets $38 each
or $360 for a table of 10. To book visit www.
trybooking.com/223881
NSW
CRUELTY FREE FESTIVAL
Australian Technology Park Exhibition Hall
Sunday, 30th October 2016
Our NWS team will have a stall at this annual
event - a great chance to catch up on all the
latest news at the same time as picking up a few
early Christmas presents from our merchandise
range
WA
TEDDY BEARS PICNIC
Brampton Park, Butler
Sunday 30th October 2016, 10am-3pm
NOVEMBER - COMING EVENTS
WA
PERTH PET EXPO
Robinson Pavillion, Claremont Showground
Saturday 5th -Sunday 6th November 2016,
9am-5pm
WA
RIVERSIDE BARKFEST
Riverside Gardens in Bayswater
Sunday 13th November 2016, 8am-12pm
WA
MINI LITTLE SUGAR YUM YUM ART SHOW
2a Commercial Road, Shenton Park
Sunday 20th November 2016, 11am-4pm
WA
WANNEROO AGRICULTURAL SHOW
Wanneroo Show Grounds
Friday 24th November 2016, 3:30-10pm &
Saturday 25th November 8.30am-10pm
Unley SA 5061
Friday 18 November at 7.30pm
Come along for a great night for the whole
family. Heaps of prizes to be won, raffle,
silent auction and of course, Sunny the
Bear! Beer, wine and soft drinks for sale.
Entry: $20 per adult and $10 per child.
Contact: Vicky Mackenzie 0438 809 537 or
[email protected]
NSW
LUNCHEON & AUCTION@JOAN PEARSON'S
18 Ida Avenue, Mosman, Sydney
Saturday 26th November 2016
Joan Pearson will be hosting another of her
legendary fundraisers at her stunning home
in Mosman. And all so that we can build a
stunning home for rescued bears in Laos! An
auction, raffles, delicious food and seemingly
endless beverages make this one pre-Christmas
party you don't want to miss! Contact Joan on 02
9960 2229 or email [email protected]
to book your seat before they're all gone
DECEMBER - COMING EVENTS
WA
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Perth Zoo Lecture Theatre
Friday 2nd December 2016, 2pm-5pm
Come join us for our AGM and hear updates
on all our programmes over 2016 - our busiest
year yet!
WA
VOLUNTEER CHRISTMAS PARTY
Japanese Gardens, Perth Zoo
Friday 2nd December 2016, 6pm-9pm
Wine, nibbles and updates on the latest news
from our sanctuaries plus a chance to reflect on
everything that has been accomplished over the
past year for our bears!
SA
FREE THE BEARS TRIVIA NIGHT
Unley Community Centre, 18 Arthur Street,
HOLD THE DATE
DINNER UNDER THE STARS
Hainault Vineyard and Winery
21st January 2017 5.30 – 9pm
Tickets $65 each - please call the Perth office on 08 9244 106
MAKING A MONTHLY DONATION TO SUPPORT OUR BEARS
With more bears arriving at our sanctuaries each month, many of them suffering from terrible injuries sustained at
the hands of their captors, monthly donations are a great way to help provide for their care. Each tin of milk formula
(essential for orphaned cubs) costs $15 while $30 helps provide honey and other tasty treats for a rescued Moon bear
for a week. Monthly donations help you to plan your finances more easily, and help us to budget for the ongoing care of
bears that require life-long support. Just contact Jeannie in our Perth office on [email protected] if you’d like
to know how to set up monthly donations.
FREE THE BEARS FUND INC.
PO Box 1393, Osborne Park DC , WA 6916, Australia
FREE THE BEARS UK
PO Box 6395, Basildon, Essex, SS14 0NY
Tel: +61 (08) 9244 1096
Fax: +61 (08) 9244 4649
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0) 7785 552856
Email: [email protected]
Charity Number: A1004507U
ABN: 23 763 253 031
This newsletter is printed on recycled paper chlorine free. Re-life 50%
Patrons: Dr Harry Cooper BVSc MRCVS C.M. and
Maneka Gandhi.
Charity Number: 1135682
FREE THE BEARS SE ASIA REGIONAL OFFICE
PO Box 723, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Founder & Chairperson: Mary Hutton
CEO: Matt Hunt
FOCUS - Bringing Home The Bile Farm Bears
Trapped in cages barely big enough to turn around in, this bear was discovered by Free the Bears investigators during recent surveys in Vietnam.
A bit of background on bear bile farming....
In Asia the use of bear bile within traditional
medicine can be traced back for centuries
- the first published record can be found as
long ago as the Tang Dynasty in 659AD. It
is unknown how widely bear bile may have
been used in years gone by but, with the
only way of obtaining bile being the killing of
a wild bear, it is almost certain that its use
was extremely rare and reserved exclusively
for the upper echelons of society.
2017 FREE THE BEARS
WALL CALENDAR
NEW! Brighten up your days with this beautiful
calendar featuring images of our stunning
bears enjoying life in our sanctuaries.
COST: $23 each
POST: $3 Aus, $5 O/S
Asia. Some countries were producing more
bear bile than they required for medicinal
purposes, leading to the product being used
in a range of non-medicinal products (e.g.
toothpaste, shampoo, soaps) and traders
seeking new ways to increase the market for
bear bile. Throughout all of this, the number
of wild bears in each country continued to
decline as some people continued to prefer
bile taken from wild bears over that from the
farms.
The situation today...
By the early 1900’s pharmaceutical grade
ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), the therapeutic component within bear bile, was being
produced as a by-product of slaughtered
cattle and other (non-bear) species. However
demand for authentic bear bile continued to
grow and so, in the 1970’s, a method for extracting bile from living, caged bears was developed in the Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea (North Korea). With this discovery,
bear bile farming began. By the mid-1980’s
the practice had been sanctioned by the
Chinese government as a “conservation
measure to preserve bears in the wild”. By
1989 more than 8,000 living, breathing and
doubtless suffering bears were being held in
Chinese bile farms...
From here the practice continued to spread
to South Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. At its peak it was estimated that more
than 20,000 bears (mostly Moon bears)
were being exploited for their bile across six
bear-farming countries in East and Southeast
In South Korea, where bears are kept
until they are 10 years old and then legally
slaughtered to obtain their gallbladders,
the number of wild Moon bears dropped
dramatically, leaving the species on the edge
of extinction and the Korean authorities
investing millions of dollars each year in an
attempt to re-populate their forests with this
iconic species.
In Vietnam, following a dramatic increase
from an estimated 500 bears in bile farms
in 1997 to 4,500 in 2006, the government
outlawed the extraction of bile and begun issuing stiff penalties for anyone caught advertising, buying or selling bear bile products.
Over the past 10 years the number of bears
being kept in bile farms has dropped by almost 75%, with around 1200 bears thought
to remain in farms today. Several sanctuaries
and rescue centres have been established
throughout the country by nongovernmental
organisations (NGO’s) working in partnership
with Vietnamese authorities, supporting wildlife law enforcement efforts that have seen
around 350 bears rescued to date.
Laos was a relative late-comer into the industry of bear bile farming - with the first farm
being established in the early 2000’s and
slowly spreading over the next decade to its
current level of around 150 bears being held
in at least seven bile farms. The stocking
of these farms using wild-caught cubs has
attracted widespread attention from the
international community and, with a CITES
trade ban recently enacted against Laos, the
government are looking for ways to stamp
out the industry before it becomes more
entrenched.
A risky gamble gone wrong...
Bear bile farming is a classic example of a
conservation misadventure - to date no evidence exists to prove that the establishment
of bear bile farms has benefitted wild bear
populations and it is more likely that these
farms have led to an increase in demand for
bear bile. The Moon bear remains listed as
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and the global conservation
community - through the World Conservation
Congress - has called for a situation analysis
into the situation regarding bear bile farming
in Asia. Meanwhile,
thousands of bears remain
trapped on bile farms, the
victims of a terrible gamble
gone wrong.
Special Appeal - Help Us Bring Home
The Bile Farm Bears
How Can You Help?
Now, more than ever, we have the chance
to help end bear bile farming in Laos and
Vietnam. But we cannot do it without your
support. Right now our teams are working to
create brand new, world-class sanctuaries in
Laos and Vietnam. Once completed, these
sanctuaries could house over 100 rescued
bears each! That’s a lot of extra mouths to
feed - even once the bricks and mortar have
been laid. We’ll keep you updated over coming months as these new sanctuaries are built
but right now we need all the support we can
get so please consider making a donation to
support this crucial work.
Every dollar counts - here’s how you can help;
$10 feeds a rescued bear for three days
$25 pays for crucial medicine to help bears
heal
$60 buys an Aussie Dog treat ball to enrich a
bear’s life
$100 provides a bear with a comfy bear-sized
hammock to relax in
$1,000 builds a climbing tower, helping rescued bears enjoy the high life
Reasons for supporting Free the Bears
• Our 100% guarantee means that your
money will be spent exactly where you want on the bears. Our minimal administrative costs
are covered by memberships, merchandise
sales and a small percentage of our sponsorships, meaning that 100% of any donation is
sent directly to our field programmes to help
bears.
• We’ve been helping bears for more than
20 years, and we’re committed to providing
The first bear bile farm in Laos lies on the outskirts of the capital Vientiane. Free the
life-long care for the bears in our sanctuaries
Bears has been working to close this living hell for more than 10 years. Will you help us?
whenever needed. Today we have over 500
(Credit: Jo-Anne MacArthur)
bears living in sanctuaries we support across
Asia, making us responsible for the continued
care of more rescued bears than any other
What Are We Doing To End This Trade?
organisation in the world!
• Our approach is always collaborative, rarely confrontational.
• Free the Bears is working to end bear farming in two of the
six countries that still practise bile extraction - Laos and Vietnam We work with people to help bears. This means that we only
work with governments who have expressly demonstrated their
• We build safe homes for rescued bears - overseeing the
desire to protect bears but lack the resources to do this. We also
creation of sanctuaries, and providing ongoing technical and
work in partnership with other organisations that share our obfinancial support to care for the bears in these sanctuaries
jectives, and we ensure the needs of communities living around
• We support government efforts to enforce wildlife laws
bears are taken into account in any programme that we support.
through advocacy, intelligence gathering and direct support to
• We’re passionate about what we do, and make sure that
rescue missions
every dollar we receive is put to best use. We don’t spend vast
• We carry out undercover investigations into bear bile farms
amounts of money on advertising campaigns or corporate
to document infringements of national and international laws
salaries. Our Founder, Mary Hutton, has worked on a completely
• Working with respected organisations such as the IUCN
voluntary basis for Free the Bears for over 20 years. Today she
Bear Specialist Group, we conduct surveys of wild bear populais supported by more than 200 dedicated volunteers around the
tions in order to identify population trends and spotlight threats
world. Indeed, most of our field staff started
to the species
off as volunteers with Free the Bears!
• Lastly, but not least, we work with local communities to
increase understanding of bears through innovative education
programmes and alternative livelihoods for communities most
vulnerable to committing wildlife crime