Wow, those amazing folks at Animals Asia do move fast when there is a bear in trouble.

In the late hours of Sunday evening, their Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre got an urgent call from their friends at the Forest Protection Department.

They had removed a bear in a distressed state from a bile farm in Phung Thuong – it’s a bear bile farming hot spot in Vietnam.  

The bear needed a safe haven FAST.

And he got it.   With just 12 hours notice, Animals Asia were able to drop everything and welcome this bear home.

They have called him Lam.  It means forest in Vietnamese.

Please donate to help Animals Asia help Lam and bears like Lam 

Lam's new life

He’s now got lush green spaces to enjoy.

He can have fun bathing in pools, climbing structures, roam and forage – or just snooze in the warmth of the sun!

After his 30 day quarantine period, he’ll even be able to enjoy some fun with new friends – probably the first he’s had in his life.  He’ll have enrichment exercises to improve his health and wellbeing and keep his mind active.

In short, he’s on his way to becoming a bear and enjoying bear activities!

What a change from being stuck in a tiny cage, his freedom stolen.   Just look at the care Lam has had since arriving at the rescue centre. 

Please help Nowhere Bears like Lam

Animals Asia call bears like Lam a “nowhere bear” because he’s suffering in the shadows, unseen.  There are more nowhere bears out there, waiting for rescue.

You can help Animals Asia rescue and care for bears like Lam by making a donation.  Every single bit counts.

These bears need to know we all care for them and love them.

Sending bear hugs to you all!

Please donate here.

Care2.com have a petition about an enormous oil refinery on St Croix in the US Virgin Islands.

It has laid dormant for nearly years – it was forced to shut down after committing dangerous environmental breaches.

Donald Trump re-opened it in his last weeks of office -     his full plan went into effect on 4 February 2021. 

Three days later, Care2.com say the sky rained oil.

A vapour cloud released by the refinery went up into the air, glided to the community of Clifton Hill which is nearby, filled homes, gardens and toys – and then it burst, a mixture of petroleum and water covering cars, toys, and more with oil.

This was over two months ago.

Residents say the oil is still stuck to food sources such as avocado and fruit.  It cannot be washed out.

An oil refinery rained petroleum on wildlife, people, and homes. Shut down this foul plant, now!

The island is surrounded by marine life – coral reefs, sharks and whales.   If the oil keeps going into the soil and water around the island, it could poison people and animals for years to come.

There is a huge human rights issue as well.

Care2.com say that most of the residents are black, descendants of Africans who were enslaved and brought to work on sugar and cotton plantations.

The Biden administration has already started an investigation and revoked a number of permits.

But the plant is still open.

Please tell the Biden administration to shut this toxic oil refinery down.   Force its operators to clean up their pollution.

Please sign here

The Skagit Land Trust is a local non-profit conservation organisation located in the beautiful state of Washington.   It is supported by over 1,600 people (indidivduals, families and businesses).  It protects key natural land for future generations of people and wildlife and for the benefit of the community.

And great news!

The Skagit Land Trust has protected over 8,560 acres of land and 46 miles of marine and freshwater shoreline in Skagit County.  It’s done this  working with communities, landowners and partners.

And good news!  They’ve purchased 50 more acres.  These are at the entrance to Samish Island and the land will be managed as part of the Samish Island Conservation Area.

The Trust now protects 100 acres at the entrance to Samish Island and over half a mile of marine shoreline.  It includes a beach, freshwater wetlands, a tidal marsh, a small creek and tidelands.    And it means that the entrance will be natural open space forever!

The purchase was possible thanks to over 200 families, businesses and organisations who donated to help purchase the property, and the Washington State Department of Ecology who helped secure a grant of$875,000 from the National Coastal Weltands Conservation Grant Program.  

The Trust is working to secure further grant funds and these will help repay loans taken out for the purchase and also to help restore the property.  

The 100 acres includes the Samish Island Conservation Area, and the Samish Flower Farm.  It also includes an adjoining private conservation easement, kindly donated over 15 years ago by Jim Squires Jr and Cliff Squires.  Take a look at the areas protected by the Skagit Land Trust and you’ll see how important conservation easement is.

The first step is a site clean up. 

Find out all about the Skagit Land Trust’s Conservation Strategy here.

This just shows what can be done when people pull together towards a common conservation goal, so well done to every one involved.  Donate here.

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)  have been working for half a decade to end the Canadian commercial hunt.

It has been working with organisations, governments at a local and national level and dedicated animal lovers.

And they are making progress – the hunt is a shadow of its former self.

• 36 international trade bans on seal products
   
• 4 million seals have been saved since the European Union ban in 2009
   
• A 97% decrease in the value of the commercial seal hunt from 2006 to 2019
  
  

Sign petition to end the Atlantic commercial seal hunt

But the 2021 hunt has opened, and IFAW are asking us all to sign a petition to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to get this event stopped once and for all.

IFAW says that the hunt is cruel and unnecessary.  It’s time for the Canadian Government to stop funding the commercial hunt and invest in economic alternatives for those few fishermen who still take part in it.

They have a form you can use to send a message to Trudeau – there’s a personalised copy to make it more effective and you can actually personalise that.  Though as they say, please be polite!

Sign here and let’s really put the pressure on to get this commercial seal hunt STOPPED

Rainforest Foundation UK have good news from the Democratic Republic of the Congo!

Its community forest programme there has gained momentum, as the Bamasobha community has been granted their community forest!  This secures 29,142 hectares!   Find out more about it here.

There are now over 100 community forests which are either established or applied for, in the world’s second largest rainforest.  They total over 2 million acres!

Rainforest Foundation UK works in the two largest rainforests, the Congo Basin and the Amazon.  The forests are spread over billions of acres but as we all know, they are threatened by illegal logging and mining.    Destroy the forest habitats, and you also undermine the livelihoods of locals living there.  You also destroy eco systems.

ForestLink fights illegal activities in the forest

So communities are important in the fight against illegal activities, and the Rainforest Foundation UK’s ForestLink monitoring system enables communities to send low-cost alerts about illegal logging.  It’s been so effective that it’s been expanded to the Ivory Coast!

There was also a landmark conviction of eco-guards for human rights abuses which were committed in the Salonga National Park.   It sends a strong message that abuses won’t be tolerated.  

Rainforest Foundation UK says that much needs to be done to address the risks from a poorly designed UN plan to double protect areas within the next decade.  It is working to “amplify the voices of those on the frontline of deforestation on the international stage” as the climate summit in Glasgow approaches.

Visit Rainforest Foundation UK's website here