Free the Bears is a really special charity based in Australia, and it was started by an inspirational woman called Dr Mary Hutton. Dr Hutton saw a television programme that would change her life - a part of it showed bears kept in a cage so that bear bile could be extracted from them. The footage of moon bears (Asiatic Black bears) was horrendous to see; they were held in tiny cages unable to move and dirty catheters were inserted directly into their gall bladder to 'milk' their bile for traditional 'medicine.

Dr Hutton did something about it the following day. She drew up a petition and stood outside her local shopping mall collecting signatures to help Free the Bears. That collected thousands of signatures. A group of people determined to help the bears gathered and back in 1995 Free the Bears Fund was registered as a not-for-profit charity (Charity No: A1004507U).

Today, they have bear sanctuaries in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. They have also worked with Wildlife SOS and International Animal Rescue to tackle the huge challenge of rescuing India's dancing bears. The last of the dancing bears was rescued in 2009 and the rescued sloth bears are living in four large, natural sanctuaries operated by Wildlife SOS.

Free the Bears’ research programme was created to order to improve our understanding of wild bear populations and threats facing them. It also assesses the welfare of the bears the charity cares for, and improves it. It partners with governments, universities, and other institutions around the world to end the exploitation of bears.  And it hosts international wild animal rescue conferences, including first ever symposium on sun bear conservation in 2017. Free the Bears also employs locals to remove snares set to catch bears and other large animals.

Needless to say, it's important to educate future generations and local communities, and Free the Bears leads campaigns in Cambodia and Laos regarding wildlife and the illegal wildlife trade.

In October 2024, those fabulous folk at Free the Bears heard of a very special bear in need of rescue in the north of Cambodia. This was a very rare golden moon bear. Free the Bears' friends from Wildlife Alliance and government partners from the Forestry Administration were able to collect the bear, and they delivered her to the charity's Cambodia Sanctuary. This poor bear was taken from the wild as a cub: she is overweight due to the poor diet she's endured, and no exercise, having been caged for about six years, but Free the Bears are confident she will leave a happy life at the sanctuary!

But Free the Bears is probably best known for its work rescuing bears, and you can be a part of this journey! There are plenty of ways to help with rescues such as the one below, from donating to being a bear carer (donating every month) to sponsoring or adopting a bear, or even buying the bears gifts such as a jar of honey or a hammock! Visit their website here to see how you can help.

Images copyright Free the Bears