"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead, American anthropologist, 1901-1978
Tuan had been a very lonely bear. He was caged on an intensive bear farm. For 15 years.
Animals Asia received an urgent call about this bear. They went to his rescue, 18 kilometres away, within 90 minutes of receiving the call.
What they found was horrible.
Tuan was unhealthy and obese.
He was living in filthy conditions, with little or totally unsuitable food.
He could hear the deafening sounds of pigs squealing a few feet away.
And now he’s been rescued by charity Animals Asia.
Animals Asia hope he will live for another 15 years or more at their Vietnam sanctuary.
That means he needs food, medicines, toys and climbing frames for at least 15 years, to give him the life he deserves.
He’s been given the name Tuan after the Vietnam Director of Animals Asia, Tuan Bendixsen.
It’s the first time he’s been safe in his life – but he doesn’t know he’s safe. There is a long road to recovery for Tuan. He’s deeply traumatised. And you can help him by helping and donating towards his care.
He’s Animal Asia’s 210th rescued bear in Vietnam. All the bears need help, time and care. They need food, medicine and enrichment activities.
Four Paws are asking us all to come to the rescue of Dasha and Leyla.
Introducing Dasha and Leyla
Introducing Dasha and Leyla
Dasha and Leyla are two brown bears. They've lived in a small concrete cage ever since they were born in 2006.
Their purpose in life has been to “entertain” people, and they have been used as a tourist attraction in the Ukraine’s Lviv.
The restaurant where they are has closed its doors. The bears’ owners want to get rid of Dasha and Leyla but they have nowhere to go.
Disha and Leyla could have a new life
We can all change everything about life for Dasha and Lelya.
Four Paws want to rescue them and take them to their bear sanctuary Domazhyr. They need our help to do this – as always, money is the missing ingredient to make this happen.
Let’s all get stuck in and lend a paw to make this happen. Or, donate something to help Dasha and Leyla move to Four Paws’ bear sanctuary.
Just imagine how they will feel when they step onto green grass for the first time…They will be able to roam, to play and even swim in their huge enclosure all day long...
And imagine how good that would make you & I feel to know we’d had a part to play in making that happen.
The World Land Trust is one of my favourite charities. They save land, acre by acre, thanks to the donations of people and organisations who care.
They’ve been saving habitats (places where wildlife live) and species since 1989, and they HQ is in a small town in Cambridgeshire. And they work with local conservation partners around the world, who understand the needs of local wildlife and people.
Every year, they now have a Big Match Fund Fortnight. This essentially means that any donation you and I make is matched. So any donation you & I make is doubled.
Now, this year’s Big Match Fund Fortnight is up and running – it kicked off on 3rd October and so far, 15% of funds have been raised.
The World Land Trust is aiming to riase £575,000 to rejuvenate a landscape in Vietnam. The money raised will go to the World Land Trust’s local partner, Viet Nature. Viet Nature will begin bringing back tropical forest, so that it’s teeming with rare species.
At the moment, the area is overrun with what’s known in Vietnam as “American grass” since it replaced the forests that were destroyed by Agent Orange. The plan is to rejuvenate the soils, clear invasive grasses, nurture native tree seedlings and then care for them until they are established.
But one of the very exciting things about this project is that the forest will re-connect with nearby reserves such as the Khe Nuoc Trong, so it will become one of the largest remaining areas of Annamite montain forest.
This means that wildlife will be able to find a home in the jungle as it spreads out. Primates such as the Red-shanked Douc and the endangered Sunda Pangolin, the Crested Argus Peafowl and other endangered birds will be able to find habitat to live in.
And of course, the rejuvenated forest will recreate an environment that’s healthy for locals, who depend on fresh water, clean air and livelihoods. In addition, the forest will stabilise soils and lock carbon up, so that will help climate change.
This is an amazing project, and it’s the World Land Trust’s major appeal for 2019. Last year, Jungle for Jaguars in Belize was very successful – let’s hope that all the supporters can do the same for wildlife and people in Vietnam.
And they’ve made a film showing their bear rescue team at work. In fact, the song is written and sun by a member of their team!
Back in October 2017, the embarked on the Great Bear Rescue with their partners FPWC. Their aim was to rescue every single bear being held captive in appalling conditions across Armenia.
And since then, they have rescued 30 bears! (That's according to their email dated 4th October 2019)
Gordon was found slumped on a cold hard floor in a tiny, narrow cage with barely room to turn around.
Dasha, who had spent ten miserable years behind bars in a cramped cage half-submerged in water by a riverside restaurant.
Peter, dubbed the saddest bear in Armenia, was found in a tiny cage in a basement, in total darkness.
Thomas was rescued from a filthy, squalid cage on the side of a road
But International Animal Rescue won’t stop until every bear has been rescued. The day they sent an email with news of the film, two more bears were rescued. They had been kept caged as status symbols. And after rescue, they headed to the rescue centre to begin a new life.
Koalas have been having a critical time, thanks to punishing and devastating heatwaves and people destroying their habitat. As a result, many are having no choice but to go into urban areas – where threats such as traffic and dogs threaten their very survival on a daily basis.
But there is hope, and a way you can help, wherever you are in the world.
IFAW(that’s the International Fund for Animal Welfare) have joined forces with Bangalow Koalas in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.
Bangalor Koalas help restore essential wildlife corridors which enable koalas to move safely across the landscape – their own motorway network, if you like.
The aim is to rescue orphaned koalas and restore vital koala corridors. They need somewhere safe to survive and thrive.
The will is there, and they need the cash to turn the will to do something about it into action and a result for the koalas.
The goal is to raise £100,000 to plant 10,000 trees, but there’s more to it than that.
Many koalas need help and a second chance to have a life in the wild.
Aminya is one of these; she lost her mother from a terrible fall at the age of 4 months, and so needed long term care. Friends of the Koalastepped up and looked after her.
They prepare specialised milk formula, gather fresh leaves and give the koala joeys those essential life skills they need to survive in the wild. Every single koala matters, so every single koala needs care, whether in the hands of Friends of the Koala or in the wild.
Here's how your donation gift could help koalas:
A gift of £14 could feed a koala at the nursery for one day
A gift of £40 could provide four eucalyptus trees
A gift of £110 could help us plant a section of eucalyptus forest for wildlife in need
A gift of £196 could feed a koala at the nursery for two weeks
Of course, it isn’t just koalas who need trees. Birds, squirrel gliders, possums, bats and insects all need them as well. So your gift will help koalas AND a whole number of other species!
We need to act now if we want to protect koalas and Australia’s animals from extinction.
