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1. Petition to stop Macron bankrolling Oil and gas drilling in the Arctic

   Posted on 5:00pm Saturday 3rd Apr 2021

   SumofUs have sent an email alert about the proposed plans French oil giant Total have for the Arctic.

   They say that Total want to pump the equivalent of 535,000 barrels of oil a day from under the Arctic’s ice!  (Here is Total's webpage on preserving biodiversity.)

   What’s more, the French government may back this plan and make it a reality.

   French President Macron had called the project “reckless” and “incoherent” – but SumofUs say he is about to grant a €700 million loan guarantee to Total!

   A global outcry would embarrass Macron – we need to raise a global public outcry and stop him becoming a Total Arctic Destroyer.

   Tell Macron to withdraw from Total's deadly Arctic project and stick to his international climate commitments!

   The Arctic is home to Indigenous communities like the Gwich'in, the Inuit, and the Sámi – and endangered species such as polar bears.

   SumofUs say “Total's plan will assault the Arctic landscape and life with methane explosions, pollution and more deadly heat waves.”

   We need to stop the French government financing this project and make other world leaders sit up and take notice.

   Polar bears are just some of the species counting on us to do the right thing. 
   
   

   
   Please sign this petition today and spread the word

   
   Please give the Arctic and everyone living there a voice today and sign the petition to tell Macron to stop bankrolling oil and gas drilling in the Arctic.

2. Good news from Spectacled Bear Conservation in Peru

   Posted on 9:00pm Thursday 8th Oct 2020

   I’m very excited by news from Spectacled Bear Conservation who work in Peru. A camera trap has confirmed bear presence in an area known as Pan de Azucar, which means Sugar Loaf in English. Spectacled Bear Conservation has monitored spectacled bears in the dry forest area of northern Peru for 12 years.  They were amazed to see the photo of a bear, because the area is very dry indeed.   The camera was on an arid mountain ridge where water sources are limited and it had been thought that it was too dry for animals to exist there. Image ©Spectacled Bear Conservation After finding the photo, five more camera traps were put up.   Sapote and overo trees were discovered – they are key food sources – and bear scat was also found, which suggests that more than one bear had used the area. This shows the mountain to be a likely place for bears to find food fruits in the summer and possibly even the winter season.  The more signs of bears being in the area the better – it means Spectacled Bear Conservation have more reason to protect the land. What’s more, finding bears in the Sugar Loaf gives the chance to create one big habitat range for them.  This includes two national protected areas, Bosque de Pomac and the Laquipampa Wildlife Refuge. This find comes with better news:  the national park authorities are keen on the idea of linking the park with habitat outside protected areas.   Bears need big areas to roam.  They won’t stop at the park boundary.   And the parks are giving Spectacled Bear Conservation camera traps to put up so that it can monitor bears in Pan de Azucar. Spectacled Bear Conservation is also working with the Peruvian national forestry authority, SERFOR.   The aim is to designate the area as “Habitat Critico” so that key habitats are protected for endangered species – including the spectacled bear! And to think – it all started with a photo! It just shows how important camera traps and long term monitoring are in protecting a species.  Visit Spectacled Bear Conservation’s website Donate to Spectacled Bear Conservation

    

3. Will you help deliver bear-safe bins to communities living with polar bears?

   Posted on 9:00pm Saturday 29th Aug 2020

   Polar Bears International have a fundraiser on with a difference. They are looking to raise money to buy bear-safe bins!   These will help keep both polar bears and people safe.  In 2020, Polar Bears International say the summer ice melt in the Arctic is on schedule to be one of the largest on record.  This ice melt has several outcomes: Polar bears are going ashore for longer periods and in more places than before They are at greater risk of being in conflict with people They re hungrier when they arrive on land and they have to look for alternative sources of food. So one solution is to reduce encounters which could prove to be dangerous by reducing food attractions. Polar Bears International have a fundraiser called Bear-Safe Bins, and this will enable them to deliver bins that are resistant to polar bears to communities sharing areas with polar bears. The bins will reduce conflict between polar bears and people and so help keep everyone safe.  Join the Bear-Safe Bins Fundraiser, and help provide this simple solution to a growing problem.  Polar Bears International have sent two pilot bins for use in Churchill, as part of its Polar Bear Safe Community and now they're raising more funds so that extra bins can be sent out to communities needing them. The bins aren't cheap - they are $1,000 each- but then you need good quality bins to fend off polar bears! Visit Polar Bears International here Donate to the Bear-Safe Bins Fundraiser here - and no, you don't need to buy an entire bin, you can contribute towards one!

    

4. Don't miss it! #Bears About the House is on again on 22 July 2020!

   Posted on 5:00pm Wednesday 22nd Jul 2020

   Bears About the House is on BBC2 again on Wednesday 22 July 2020. Last week, we heard about Mary, a sun bear who was rescued by bear charity Free the Bears, and Giles Clark.  She was tiny, malnourished and close to death and she needed 24 hour care.   Visit Free the Bears here. Please donate if you can and spread the word. Thank you! Bears About the House is on BBC2 is on July 15 and 22 at 8pm!  Don’t miss it!  There are record bear rescues, the first release of rehabilitated wildlife, many sanctuary developments and some devastating losses.   On 22nd July, Giles and his team head out to rescue David and Jane.  They are two five month old terrified moon bear cubs who were taken from the wild.  They go home with Giles Clark to have the 24/7 care.   There’s more news on Mary as she graduates from the nursery into her permanent home, taking a confident and determined approach with her.  And there’s devastating news as the team comes to terms with a break in and a theft.   The quarantine building is finished and the sanctuary is able to receive bears from bear bile farms in Laos, which the government there has committed to closing once they have somewhere that the rescued bears can go. Don’t miss it – and if you can make a donation, please donate. If you’re outside the UK, the series will reach you later this year, and meantime, lots of never before seen clips of Mary will be on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. Filming wasn’t easy, as BBC Earth shows…. Visit Free the Bears here. Donate to Free the Bears here The charity is registered in Australia and in the UK.  There are a number of ways to help – just visit the website – including becoming a bear carer, sponsoring a bear, giving a gift to the bears, and a gift to bear lovers (humans) and of course donating.

    

5. Adopt Max the Brown Bear from International Animal Rescue

   Posted on 9:00pm Monday 20th Jul 2020

   Adopt Max the Bear! International Animal Rescue have just launched their first brown bear adoption. Wild bears are caught illegally every year – or they are trapped by poachers and they end up in small cages in restaurants and other venues across Armenia for so called public entertainment. The bears are mentally and physically damaged by this existence – they are bored and frustrated; they have hardly any space to move around in.  Their food is unsuitable and insufficient; and they have no enrichment to amuse them.  They have no dignity and certainly no freedom. Enter International Animal Rescue.  They launched a campaign in October 2017 alongside their Armenian partners to help save the suffering bears of Armenia and make a difference to bears who’ve been rescued.   The bear centre rescue is run by their partners FPWC and it’s situated high in the mountains of Armenia.  The bears have the very highest standards of care, there – they have enrichment activities and can spend their days splashing about in pools and tucking into their favourite treats.  Of course, they want to return as many bears as they can to the wild – but sometimes that isn’t just possible and in those cases, they look after the bears for life.  International Animal Rescue rescued Max in 2018.  He’s been locked up for 14 years – can you imagine?  He was in a tiny cage at a bus depot with his companion Minnie. Normally, International Animal Rescue rescue Syrian brown bears, found in the wild in Armenia. Max however is a male Siberian brown bear.  He’s half a ton in weight, so he’s the biggest bear International Animal Rescue have seen. Max will never be able to go back into the wild.  He’s had too many years in captivity and he’s a non-native species of bear in Armenia. But International Animal Rescue have committed to look after Max and ensure his days are full of treats, love and naps! You can help Max (and his friends) by adopting him to support his ongoing care from 14p a day. Your adoption will help in several ways: Pay for the lifetime care of Max and other bears like him Provide veterinary care to nurse bears back to health Maintain a peaceful and safe environment for the bears at our sanctuary Reintroduce bears back to the wild where possible Visit International Animal rescue here to adopt Max today, and be a part of the effort to care for these bears! Adopt Max today