Our Blog - Ways to help animals

 
 
 
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  1. Bears About the House - BBC2 on 22nd and 15th July at 8pm - Don't miss it!

    Posted on

    There’s a programme on BBC2 on 26th August and 2nd September 2022 at 8pm that you must just not miss!

    It’s called Bears About the House. #BearsAbouttheHouse

    Conservationist Giles Clark (Big Cats About the House) is off on his biggest mission to date:  he’s taking on the illegal wildlife trade and helping to build a pioneering new bear sanctuary in Laos, South East Asia.

    Enter Matt Hunt, CEO of Free the Bears.  Free the Bears is an amazing charity which rescues moon and sun bears and cares for them in bear sanctuaries in Cambodia, Vietnam and Cambodia.  And Matt asked Giles Clark to help for 12 months. 

    Visit Free the Bears' website
    Please donate if you can and/or spread the word.
    Thank you! 

    Before long, Giles was needed to step forward and help Mary, a 5 month old sun bear who was rescued after her mother was killed in the wild.  Fragile and malnourished, she needed care at home, and that's what she got.



    Visit Free the Bears here to find out more
    Thank you

    We wish everyone at Free the Bears all the best with the programme, thinking of you
    and thank you for all you're doing

    DONATE TO FREE THE BEARS
    Thank you

    Don’t miss it – and if you can make a donation, please donate.

    Bears across Asia are sold as trophy pets.  They are used for their body parts in restaurants and processed for traditional Asian medicine. 

    The most valued part of a bear is their gallbladder.  It stores bile, a digestive fluid which is thought to have medical qualities. Many bears across Asia are kept in bear farms – this enables their bile to be extracted as needed. 

    Giles and the team want to stop this.  They are working with the government to shut these bear bile farms down.

    It’s a constant effort, and Free the Bears need your help.  Donations in whatever form will help rescue more bears in need of rescue, and care for those who have been rescued, and who need food, care and enrichment activities.

    Ways to help


    Visit Free the Bears' website

     

  2. Don't miss: Elephant Hospital on Channel 5 on Tuesday 14 June 2022

    Posted on

     

    Date for your diary:  12 August 
    It's World Elephant Day. 
    Find out more here

    It's back! Don't miss this on Channel 5 on Tuesday 14 June 2022.

    The programme is called Elephant Hospital and it's the world's largest elephant hospital nestled in the forests of Thailand in Lampang. It's open 24/7 and is a sort of NHS for elephants. The team of highly skilled and very dedicated staff never know what sort of problems the elephants will be arriving with but they all do their very best to help them.  

    Paul O'Donoghue and Katheirne Connor head back to the hospital for this new series (four parts).  It cares for over 100 sick, injured or neglected animals every year.  And if the elephants can't come to the hospital, the vets go to the elephants!

    This is a heart-warming series with uplifting and unexpected stories, be they treating an elephant with cancer or a baby elephant being fed with a giant milk bottle!  There's an elephant with severe diarrhoea, and a male elephant who has been attacked by another bull elephant.  It's all go, as the incredible team try to help each elephant as best they can. 

    Find out more from Channel 5

    I am looking for ways to donate to this hospital - watch this space

    It's supported by Friends of the Asian Elephant and here is their Facebook page.

    Their website is here.

    #ElephantHospital 

    THANK YOU to everyone at the hospital for all you do for these wonderful elephants. 

    The World Elephant Day website has LOTS of information about ways to help elephants, whatever day of the year it is so please take a look at it here.

    See our list of elephant conservation charities here

    How about an elephant conservation holiday? 
    Take a look at the range of choices 
    with Responsible Travel


    You could adopt an orphan elephant
    from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
    Image ©David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

     

  3. Please help the bears at IAR's sanctuaries in India

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    Please help bears in India at International Animal Rescue’s sanctuaries


    International Animal Rescue has an urgent appeal for help for their bears in India.  The COVID-19 crisis is critical there – as you may have seen from the news.

    Essential bear supplies are disrupted

    IAR is raising emergency funds to help their Indian sanctuaries to get through the next few months.  Some of their team has tested positive for COVID-19 and although extra manpower has been brought in, there is the possibility that sanctuaries may be short staffed.  Not only that, the transport system has been disrupted and that causes issues to medical and food supplies.

    Bears have needs throughout the day

    The bears must have a healthy, nutritious diet.  This includes honey (of course!), porridge and lots of fruit.

    The staff arrive at about five in the morning to start preparing breakfast porridge, and the bears have their breakfast at 6am.  The staff make sure the bears are kept well fed during the day, as well as undertaking other bear necessities!

    As the pandemic has spread, the bare caregivers themselves are becoming ill – and that means the bears may not get the food they need throughout the day. 

    IAR needs donations for the bear sanctuaries

    IAR is asking for donations, to help its bear sanctuaries at this desperate time and to make sure there are enough critical supplies to get them through the next few months.


    #SupportTheSanctuary


    Critically, IAR need donations for:

    3 to 4 oxygen concentrators and about 10 oxygen cylinders as critical care for the staff as some have tested positive for COVID-19

    Medicines and food supplies for the next few months so that the sanctuaries can get through the next few months

    PPE supplies such as kits and masks to keep the staff safe

    IAR say that supplies are becoming more difficult to get.  The bears need help and so do those who care for them.

    Learning from the first wave of COVID-19

    There is already a strict curfew and lockdown in Delhi.   IAR sanctuary staff are using animal ambulances to move food and medicines for the animals at the bear rescue centres.   Last year, the first COVID-19 wave blocked supply chains and sent food and medicine prices rocketing – and the sanctuaries want to avoid that happening again. 

    Please donate if you can.  

    Every bit helps the bears and the bear carers at this desperate time.

    #SupportTheSanctuary