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DECEMBER 2016 21 YEARS of PROTECTING BEARS INSIDE THIS ISSUE: SPOTLIGHT on the Impact of Bear Bile Farming on Wild Bears FOCUS on Building Progress in Vietnam

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DECEMBER 2016 21 YEARS of PROTECTING BEARS INSIDE THIS ISSUE: SPOTLIGHT on the Impact of Bear Bile Farming on Wild Bears FOCUS on Building Progress in Vietnam FREE THE BEARS NEWSLETTER BEARS’ PRINT DECEMBER 2016 21 YEARS OF PROTECTING BEARS INSIDE THIS ISSUE: SPOTLIGHT ON the impact of bear bile farming on wild bears FOCUS ON building progress in Vietnam FREE THE BEARS aims to protect, preserve and enrich the lives of bears throughout the world. MESSAGE FROM MARY Bamboo and Wandi will be enjoying Christmas together rather than trapped in solitary confinement thanks to being rescued this year Dear Members, Supporters and Friends, It is hard to believe that we are approaching enjoy the cooling effect of splashing around Wishing you all the most fantastic of festive the end of 2016 already - it feels like only in a pool, the thrill of scooting up a tree and seasons and THANK YOU all once again yesterday that we were making the final the hazards of digging too enthusiastically from the bottom of my heart for allowing us preparations for the 21st anniversary and into a termite mound! They will be given to ensure that - for hundreds of bears in our the launch of our Bears Alive! campaign to the chance to do all of this at their own care - every day is like Christmas day! celebrate more than 900 lives freed from pace - enjoying the freedom of choice to fear, pain and exploitation. Over the past go outside or stay indoors, swim or climb, With much love and bear hugs, nine months our wonderful supporters and hopefully to forge new friendships have come up with all manner of inspired with others of their own kind who, like Mary ways to celebrate this milestone - from art them, have survived years of solitude, pain exhibitions to cocktail evenings and even and fear. All of this is dogs in paddling pools. And the end result made possible by the - more happy bears being rescued each incredible generosity of month whilst the hundreds already in our our supporters around Hank - aka Cambodia Rescue 196 - is just one of cubs who will be spending care enjoy a quality of life that I don’t think the world, without your their first Christmas in our care following their rescue in 2016 we could ever have imagined 21 years help absolutely none of ago. We still have a few more months of what we do would be our 21st year ahead of us so if you have possible. I do hope that been considering organising an event for as you work your way Bears Alive! please do - we have achieved through your Christmas so much already but 2017 looks likely to be list this year you will our busiest year ever! spare a thought for the bears - we have a Over the past few months our teams have number of new items begun work on a brand new, world-class available within our sanctuary in Vietnam that will allow bears, merchandise range rescued from bile farms in which they and of course a bear never got to feel the sun on their backs or sponsorship makes the the grass under their feet, to finally learn perfect gift for a loved how to be bears again. Being located one! within a national park (with its own resident population of wild bears!) the new sanctuary will offer these survivors the chance to relearn the skills and behaviours that have been denied to them for so many years. Over time, they will once again learn to page 02 UPDATES Our latest arrival - Cambodia Rescue 197 MESSAGE FROM MARY FROM THE FIELD CAMBODIA We’re at the time of year where our Angel and the new Cub Care Team are on standby for new cub happily feeding. arrivals; we generally see an increase in The cub will remain rescues towards the end of the year as with Angel now for as when he arrived. He was given some food cubs are beginning to move around their long as she is providing care and doing and a quiet place in the Cub Nursery to forest habitat, putting them at risk of the things that a mother bear should be bed down for the night. He had calmed being caught by illegal hunters. However, doing. Cyril meanwhile may have to be considerably by first light and is now our latest cub to arrive was a shock relocated to another house to avoid any thriving under the care of the Cub Nursery to everyone when one of our rescued further mishaps! staff. Moon bears gave birth to twins in the early morning of the 8th November. We deliberately don’t breed our bears at the An unfortunately more regular type of In other news, our research team began Cambodian Bear Sanctuary, we already arrival occurred late on Saturday evening, surveys to improve our understanding of have enough mouths to feed and new the 12th November. A team of rangers public attitudes and behaviours towards cubs are arriving all the time so it would from Wildlife Alliance in the Southern bears and bear part use. The results will be wasteful to take up space for rescued Cardamom National Park had attempted build on our previous work in Laos and bears with further cubs bred in captivity. to apprehend a suspect with a wooden will help us to identify key consumer Accidents do happen though and at some box. The rangers were unsure what was groups and design targeted conservation point in the last 8 months Cyril Sunshine in the box, but closer inspection revealed messaging in order to reduce demand and Angel managed to have a moment a terrified and understandably aggressive for bear bile (and other bear products), to themselves to do what comes naturally Sun bear cub. Unfortunately the offenders helping to keep bears in the wild. The to all species. Angel shares an enclosure had fled the scene, as is all too often the Awareness, Communication & Education with her sister Cookie and for some time case. Aware of the need for haste, the Team were kept busy spreading the it was difficult to tell who was the mother rangers set out on their journey across word with a huge group from our friends as both bears were intent on caring for the the country immediately, arriving at the at Little Planet and the National Public newborns. Unfortunately one of the cubs Cub Nursery at Phnom Tamao Wildlife School of Singapore. By the end of the died shortly after birth, however Angel and Rescue Centre in the early hours of the week-long field trip to our Cambodian Cookie cared for the remaining cub and 13th November. The young male weighed Bear Sanctuary we now have 75 more only after a few days did Cookie finally around 7kg but getting an exact weight dedicated young people joining us on our leave the hammock to find food, leaving was difficult as he was still very upset journey to Free the Bears. Students from Little Planet ready to return to Singapore as wildlife warriors! page 03 UPDATES particular just relishing any opportunity to like your average 20-something lad down FROM THE FIELD investigate something new. Work is due to the gym with his buddies! get underway on the first enclosures at the new site before the end of the year and so In amongst all of the activity at the we’re hoping to be in a position to move sanctuary, our team has been continuing at least one group of bears up to the new to work with the Lao authorities to secure sanctuary by April 2017 - allowing these a commitment to phase out bear bile youngsters and all of the other bears at farming once and for all. At the global LAOS Tat Kuang Si the chance to upgrade their CITES conference in South Africa existing enclosures and trade them in for The 38 rescued bears already in our care this September the Lao government bigger homes! in Laos have had a busy year with many announced its intention to phase out tiger of the social groups rearranged to prevent farming in their country - a bold move unwanted pregnancies and prepare for Kung Fu and his trio of friends rescued that won the applause of many in the the transfer of several groups to the new in April of this year continue to delight international community who have been sanctuary. The six cubs rescued between both the visitors and our team with their calling for greater enforcement of the September and November last year are energetic playfulness. In October we were wildlife and aquatic laws. With the support growing bigger by the day and would fortunate to receive a very special wood of several embassies and international certainly benefit from more space to run chipper machine that can be used to turn agencies we have presented a plan to Our fast-growing cubs are crying out for a brand new home - its all they want for Christmas! around and play - fortunately these fun- fallen branches into a beautiful mulch phase out bear bile farming in Laos by loving little terrors absolutely love their - just perfect for young bears to snuffle 2020. This could mean upwards of 150 6-metre high climbing frame and spend around in and seek out insect snacks! At bears being rescued over the next three much of their time engaged in some the same time we also received a gigantic years and would obviously require a ursine form of “King of the Castle”, barely 85kg Aussie Dog treat ball - originally significant investment in developing the touching the ground apart from when it is designed as a toy for Polar bears but new sanctuary ready to house the new feeding time! Next door the trio of juvenile clearly nobody told Bobby, Douey, Hauser arrivals but we are confident of this plans girls made up of Tracey Louise, B.B and and Kobe that! Each of the boys has been feasibility and look forward to working with Mii Mii have also been making the most doing his best to show off to his friends our partners in Laos to ensure that bear of some new enrichment toys created by - tossing the ball around, lifting it high bile farming is relegated to history before our team - with Tracey Louise and B.B.
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