Free the Bears do amazing work rescuing and caring for bears who've been held captive in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.   You'll find their website here.

Their most recent rescue involved 18 bear cubs, after a wildlife trafficker was arrested. 

Now the vital work of caring for these little bears begins - and it may cost over $50,000 to ensure they get all the best care and everything a bear needs throughout life.   Veterinary care, good food, enrichment and lots of TLC are all vital. 

Whatever you do, please do something to help.  The bears need you! 

This is a great fundraiser - and a really important one - to help Free the Bears care for the bears they have rescued.  In the case of the 18 bear cubs Free the Bears just rescued in Laos, the estimated cost of caring for them over their life times is $50,000.  

The CEO of Free the Bears, Matt Hunt, the charity's incredible founder, Mary Hutton OAM, and bear carers around the world will be spending the night in a cage to raise awareness of the plight of endangered sun bears and moon bears.   Here's Dr Mary Hutton and some of the amazing people taking part in a cage, to tell you all about it.   You can sponsor Dr Hutton here.

Here's how you can get involved:

1) Create your own cage at home at join in the Night in a Cage challenge - this  will give you an idea of the fraction of the suffering these beautiful bears have to endure, and it will help raise awareness

2) Support Dr. Mary Hutton OAM, by sponsoring her Night in a Cage challenge by clicking here.  Dr Hutton is now 86 years old - and she was in the Founder of Free the Bears. 

You could also choose to sponsor the team of carers in Laos, who are caring for the bears.

You could also choose to sponsor the team of carers in Laos, who are caring for the rescued cubs.   They do not have a big social media presence, so supporting them would be a lovely way to thank them for what they are doing and to show your support.   Click here to support  Team Laos.

3) Support a team around the world (or Team Laos, as mentioned above)!  It's wonderful to see so many people wanting to help the bears.  

• Free the Bears CEO Matt Hunt
• Team Western Australia
• Team Tasmania
• Team New South Wales 
• Team Albany
• Team South Australia
• Team Queensland
• Team Victoria
• Team Canada
• Team United Kingdom 
• Team US
  
  

Click here to support a team.

4) Spread the Word about Free the Bears' work and what they are doing to help the bears. 

Now, if you've only just heard about A Night in a Cage and would love to do the challenge, you can do it any time in April - so you can choose a night in April that suits you.  

And just think - help from us all can help give bears moments like this video below...