MARCH 2015 20 YEARS OF PROTECTING BEARS

BEARS’ PRINT FREE THE BEARS NEWSLETTER

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

SPOTLIGHT ON Blue Learns to Walk FOCUS ON A New Start in Vietnam FREE THE BEARS aims to protect, preserve and enrich the lives of bears throughout the world.

Free the Bears CEO Matt Hunt, founder Mary Hutton and comedian Rove McManus at Perth Zoo’s Breakfast with the Bears event.

Mary and Rove observe a bear health check

MESSAGE FROM MARY Dear Members, Supporters and Friends. March 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of our registration as an official charity in Australia. It is hard to believe how quickly those two decades have passed, and I don’t think anyone could have guessed when we took the decision to change from a petition group to an official fund that in such a short time we’d grow into the world’s leading bear rescue organisation. We’re now responsible for the rescue of over 800 bears, many of which continue to live safe and happy lives in our sanctuaries today. I’m incredibly humbled to know that many of our members and supporters have been with us since the very beginning, and very grateful to the thousands more who have joined us along the way. We’re planning to hold a series of special events for our 21st anniversary celebrations in March 2016 so if you have been thinking about holding a fundraiser for the bears for some time, but not quite managed to get around to it, then this is the special occasion that you’ve been waiting for! Back in 1995 things were certainly very different; communication with our teams and partners overseas would take place via fax or bad telephone lines. Today we have email, Skype, and social media to keep us up-to-date on all of the happenings at our sanctuaries on a daily basis. I think if anyone had explained to me what Facebook was in 1995 I would have struggled to believe that I would be signing up at the age of 75 just so I could see the many beautiful images that are posted of our bears every day! Many of you dug deep to support our first crowd-funding campaign to build a new home for the “Dirty Dozen” cubs at our sanctuary in Cambodia recently. Over $11,000 was raised, taking us one step closer to what will surely be a world-class home for four lucky groups of rescued bears. A big Thank You to everyone who contributed, as well as the many other donors who have supported this desperately-needed extension to our Cambodian sanctuary.

page 02

When Cambodia Rescue 183, nicknamed Blue, reached our sanctuary in Cambodia last October we were shocked to see the damage that had been inflicted on such a tiny and defenseless creature. He weighed less than 4kg and barely had any teeth, yet someone had clearly inflicted such a blow on his spine that we feared he might never walk properly. I met Blue for myself when I visited Cambodia with our dear friend Rove McManus in November, and despite his terrifying experiences at the hands of his captors, this adorable little cub was full of love and affection. Over the past few months Blue has amazed us all with his recovery, and a short video sharing his story has now been seen by almost 700,000 people (I must admit to having watched it more than once myself!). If you haven’t yet seen this I cannot recommend it enough, please watch Blue’s story (more details on page 6) and share it with all your friends and family. If anyone asks me to sum up, in 3 minutes or less, why it is so important that we continue to do our work, I think this video says it all! Of course, none of our work would be possible without your help, and with every new arrival being brought into our sanctuaries for care, your support becomes more vital than ever. As we head into our third decade as an organisation, I know that we’re committed to our mission until all bears are able to live a life free of fear and pain. We have over 800 reasons to celebrate already, I hope that you’ll stay with us to share many more success stories in years to come. With much love and bear hugs, Mary

UPDATES  FROM THE FIELD

CAMBODIA At Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre, work continues on our new bear house after raising $11,601 through online crowdfunding. The bears were also lucky to have visits from long-time supporter Rove McManus and patron Dr. Harry Cooper to help spread the word about the fundraiser. While we didn’t reach the full target to finish construction, it’s a great help towards this urgently needed new space for the bears. So why is more space so urgently needed? Since our last Bears’ Print newsletter we have rescued four more Sun bear cubs from around Cambodia. All very young, from 3-6 months, it was immediately clear that our first arrival, Blue, couldn’t walk which was found to be due to spinal problems. Thanks to the work of our team of cub carers in Cambodia and vets around the world, Blue is getting stronger each day. In fact, news of Blue’s recovery reached millions of people worldwide and you can find out more about his story later in this newsletter. One of the reasons for his recovery is his energetic friend Bearzilla, who arrived soon after. True to his name, he never stays still, and gave Blue the constant exercise he needed to get stronger. It wasn’t long before Heidi arrived, so called as she

Heidi, Blue and Bearzilla in quarantine

page 03

was always hiding, who was found in forest being cleared for the construction of a hydroelectric dam. Sadly, after an encouraging break of 3 months without any rescues, a new bear, our 186th bear rescued in Cambodia, nicknamed Frank arrived. Frank was found in the same area as Heidi, also displaced by the construction of the hydro-dam. We hope that we don’t have to rescue too many more in the coming year. Last year we received 11 cubs in total, and Frank was our first of 2015. Luckily he has a very bright future ahead of him. Bear House 8 should be completed in the next few months, freeing up space in our Cub Nursery and giving our growing cubs more space to run, play and hide as they grow into proper little bears. Newest arrival Frank, a.k.a. Ol’ Blue Eyes

UPDATES  FROM THE FIELD

LAOS 2015 looks set to be a year of change for Free the Bears in Laos, as we were sad to bid farewell to Mike Brocklehurst who has been managing our Laos programme since late 2012. Under Mike’s tenure our Laos programme made some great advances, including ChamPa’s world’sfirst neuro-surgery, construction of a new kitchen for our ever-growing bear population and many other improvements. Sadly Julie Harris’ volunteer assignment with the Australian governments VIDA programme also came to an end and so Julie too had to return to Australia after spending almost two years strengthening our education programmes in Laos. Best of luck with your next chapters Mike and Julie, and hopefully we’ll see you back in Asia sometime soon!

Forest and Wildlife Discovery Trail we’re now looking at innovative ways to use our sanctuary at Tat Kuang Si as a leading centre for environmental education in Laos. In 2015 we’ll be launching a mobile education unit in Laos - initially focusing on local school groups and training of tour guides so that they can pass on the correct messages to the hundreds of thousands of visitors passing through our sanctuary here each year.

Rick Passaro has taken the reins as our new Laos Programme Manager, bringing with him over a decade of experience in Southeast Asia and several decades of wildlife conservation knowledge. With the finishing touches being laid to the

All 26 bears at Tat Kuang Si continue to thrive under the care of our team, with the younger bears (Hauser’s group, Kobe and Moonie and our youngest resident Mii Noy) all growing fast while our bigger bears - most notably Morris

Moonbeam and the two boys saved in last years Laos Lake Rescue - have lost some excess pounds and are now at their target weights. It is unlikely that we’ll be able to develop any additional large forest enclosures to the sanctuary at Tat Kuang Si and so efforts are still underway to locate a suitable site for a second sanctuary in Laos. A quick survey of some known bear farms and suspected trading zones in northern Laos in January revealed a growing number of bears being kept in terrible conditions. We are continuing efforts with our government partners to strengthen wildlife law enforcement in Laos and hope that 2015 will see positive progress in this direction for the benefit of all bears.

Champa enjoying her outside area

page 04

UPDATES  FROM THE FIELD

INDIA Wildlife SOS had the good fortune of witnessing a one-of-a-kind event at the Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre (BBRC) in Bangalore - the birth of a Sloth bear cub! This birth was the result of mating that may have occurred between a wild male Sloth bear and Kavi, one of our rescued dancing bears. Kavi was rescued by Wildlife SOS in 2008 from Gadag district in Karnataka. A wild male sloth bear from the Bannerghatta National Park accidentally breached the moat and entered the large 65-acre bear safari area. It was love at first sight as his eyes set upon Kavi bear. Kavi delivered the bear cub in a deep cave in the safari area, and he is now 5 to

6 weeks old. We have named him “Cupid” which defines the story of his birth. To confirm the presence of wild male sloth bears in the Bannerghatta National Park, Wildlife SOS installed camera traps in the safari area and field biologists are currently gathering data on the maternal care behavior of the bears. Shrinking forest cover, habitat fragmentation and change in land use has rapidly increased incidences of human bear conflict in recent times. In the last 12 months, Wildlife SOS has assisted the Forest Department in rescuing and releasing 9 Sloth bears from conflict situations in and around Bangalore & Tumkur. In most cases the bears were rescued and then relocated to safe forest habitats to prevent further conflict situations. In December, Wildlife SOS rescued a female Sloth bear struggling in a poacher’s snare on a private farm in Sira, Tumkur Division. As she frantically tried to free herself, the Wildlife SOS rescue team tranquilised the bear and removed the wires of the snare. They carefully shifted

The results of a snare trap

The WSOS rescue team in action

page 05

her into the cage for further treatment, and she was released back in to the wild after soon regaining her health. A wild female Sloth bear was received at the BBRC with her baby cub. She was shot and was found in a pit near a farm, a deep wound on the left forearm region and swelling on the right hind limb. An X-ray revealed multiple gunshots and complete dislocation of humerus from her radius-ulna joint. After two major surgeries she is not able to return to the wild, and so she is joining the bears at the BBRC to live out her life free from suffering.

SPOTLIGHT ON

BLUE: THE LITTLE SUN BEAR THAT COULD

Cub carer Mr. Heng and Blue

In October 2014, our ninth rescued cub of the year arrived at Phnom Tamao. Rescued from a blue basket in a rural Cambodian village in the Cardamom Mountains, it was immediately obvious that he had problems. He could only walk a few steps, preferring to push himself forward with his back legs, his head and front legs on the floor. Even that took so much effort he would tire quickly. X-rays revealed spinal problems that were most likely caused by a physical trauma at an extremely young age. After his rescue, we gathered veterinary opinions from Cambodia and around the world with a lot of advice, as well as the difficult consideration of euthanasia if he began to show signs of pain, or his condition worsened. Mr. Heng and the rest of the cub team used donated Cub Care Kits to provide 24-hour care, as well as medicine and supplements, and helped him to exercise and build his strength. Not long after his arrival, another new Sun bear cub, page 06

Bearzilla, was rescued. His rambunctious spirit meant that Blue had no choice but to constantly build up his strength. Months later, Blue was able to walk on his feet (although not perfectly) and scale the climbing frames in the cub development area, although he still gets tired when he reaches the top and even uses his teeth to help him hang on during his adventures. His inspiring story captured the hearts of people around the world, with almost 700,000 views of his video story on

Facebook and YouTube. Support poured in after the video was shared on social media pages of many of our international zoo partners as well as popular Internet sites such as Buzzfeed and Uproxx, resulting in dozens of news articles in places such as Australia, the US and UK, across to Taiwan, Poland and even Mexico, Blue is still a very young, growing bear and is not out of the woods yet, but he is dearly loved and we at Free the Bears are so happy with his progress. Thank you to all our donors, supporters and professionals around the world who have helped us to give Blue the best shot at what was already his second chance at a happy life. If you haven’t seen the video yet, you can find it at https://youtu.be/pgsBEyab-fU

FOCUS:

Cat Tien Bear Rescue Centre

This quarter we have announced exciting plans to begin construction of a new sanctuary for bears rescued from Vietnam’s bear bile extraction facilities. The new US$500,000, state-of-the-art facility at Cat Tien National Park in Dong Nai Province will eventually be home to at least 50 rescued Moon bears and Sun bears. According to the government’s latest figures, just 1,245 bears remain trapped in horrific conditions by 430 ‘farmers’ in Vietnam, down from over 4,500 just 10 years ago. While the reduced number of captive bears demonstrates that the Vietnamese government’s commitment to ending the bile trade is having an impact, it also highlights the urgency in finding

safe sanctuaries for those bears remaining in the hands of former ‘bile farmers’. It is not known how long a bear would typically survive in a bile farm cage (often these give the bears little more than space to stand up and turn around), however with poor diets and little or no veterinary care provided, it is clear that few would survive anywhere near their natural lifespan of 30+ years. Some experts have estimated that the average lifespan for a bear in a bile farm is only 8 years - something that would seem to be substantiated by the rapid decline in numbers of captive bears in Vietnam over the past decade. Conversely, bears in Free the Bears sanctuaries given professional veterinary care, nutritious diets and expertly-

planned rehabilitation and enrichment programmes, can often be expected to outlive their wild counterparts. Cat Tien National Park already houses over 30 rescued bears at a sanctuary built by Free the Bears in partnership with Wildlife At Risk between 2008 and 2010. Originally intended as a temporary home for up to 10 bears, this sanctuary has become overcrowded due to ongoing efforts on the part of the National Park and local authorities to remove bears from situations where they are deemed to be at risk. Although the existing sanctuary assures the bears of better husbandry and veterinary care, the growing bear population means that it no longer meets the standards that Free the Bears considers acceptable for life-time care of bears. This new agreement allows Free the Bears to purpose-build a brand new sanctuary which, once completed, will allow all of the existing bears at Cat Tien to enjoy vastly improved environments, as well as enabling National Park authorities to continue to take in new bears in need of sanctuary. As we enter the New Year in Vietnam, the Year of the Goat is thought to bring a time of calm and renewal. It is our hope that for many bears silently suffering in bile extraction facilities, this year will indeed finally see them given a second chance at life.

page 07

FUNDRAISINGUPDATES Make sure you log on the link below to keep up to date with upcoming events http://www.freethebears.org.au/web/Events

NEW SOUTH WALES QUEENSLAND By Jeanette Akkanen Tel: (02) 9584 1670 Email: [email protected]

By Jarrod Schenk Tel: 0754 481066 Email: [email protected]

NSW had a very successful year, many thanks to all those who volunteered and donated. There are too many to name individually, although special thanks should go to Joan Pearson who once again helped to raise a great part of the money through her amazing luncheons.

Hazel Prosser has sadly had to step down as State Support Group Coordinator for our Queensland branch in order to focus on her health over coming months. Hazel has done a great job in getting Free the Bears established in the Sunshine State over the past few years (after many years of helping build our presence in Canberra) and has promised to stay in touch, especially for updates on her sponsored bear Bobo!

Our meetings are held on second Saturday of every second month unless otherwise advised, so please contact Jeannie if you can come along - everyone most welcome. We are planning an event-filled year in 2015 including June 14th, our major fundraising luncheon and auction at Joan Pearson’s (see Coming Events section for details)! We have plenty of other things in the pipeline, which will include: • March/April Gladesville Markets merchandise stall run by Kia Bailey, if you can help contact [email protected] • Cake/book stall in Cronulla run by Kelly Wallace please contact Kelly if you can bake or help on the stall [email protected]

We’re very happy to welcome Jarrod Schenk stepping up into the role, Jarrod has been a passionate supporter of Free the Bears since becoming the primary keeper of Maly (the first Sun bear to be born in Australia, to Jamran and Bopha at Perth Zoo). Jarrod started with Maly at the Alma Park Zoo (now moved to Queensland Zoo) five years ago and now has a great team behind him, and of course a budding superstar in Maly who will help build awareness of her wild cousins back in Asia. SA, Mary and Geoff from Bittondi Printmakers exchange with Red Poles Gallery owner Ros Miller

• Collection tins are always available a few coins dropped into a tin all adds up. Please contact Deb Harris for either of these [email protected] • Garage Sale – Angela Garrick is planning this. We need items and workers. Date to be fixed contact Jeanette for further info. • Chocolate Drive – Beth and Phil Roffe will run this and it will begin in May. Please contact Beth with orders [email protected] • Mother’s Day raffle – Lesley Small will again be running this please contact her if you can help with items and sell tickets. • High Tea: Maureen Klees will be holding this, date yet to be fixed. • Goodwill wines: Choose your top quality wine from a huge selection and Free the Bears will get least 50% of the profits, with a minimum of $20/case. Delivery to your door around Australia. www.goodwillwine.com.au

page 08

Association who organised a fundraising art exhibition ‘Bears and Blooms: Postcards from the edge of extinction, documenting rare, endangered or extinct flora and fauna’ at the Red Poles Gallery in McLaren Vale. We are also indebted to Krystine and Alan Evans for holding a garage sale at their home in December raising just over $250. They were volunteers at the Cambodian sanctuary in February and are working on another fundraiser in the next few months.

SA, Volunteers Claire, Vicky (Sunny), Helena and Cynthia having fun manning our stall

Then it was chance for a breather and take stock. We worked out that the donation tins at various local businesses during 2014 raised $6,614.20. Huge thanks to the following: Colonnades News Agency, Noarlunga; Aldgate Bakery; Parisi’s; Unley Veterinary Surgery; Ecolateral; Ken Holds of Harbourside VetCare; Hairdressing Salon at Rosetta Village, Victor Harbor; Hair Shack; Pet Zest; Bijou Spa; Colonel Light Veterinary Clinic; Baguette Express; Pace Cleaning Services; Pet Stop; Market Ladies (Fisherman’s Wharf, Port Adelaide); Main Street Semaphore Fruit and Veg Shop; Hair Workshop; Roses of Elizabeth; Cibo Espresso, King William Road; Toy World (Victor Harbor); Fashion and More; Pat Ryan; Findon Veterinary Surgery; Joan’s Pantry; and Dara Kingsada.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA By Pauline Cockrill Tel: 0427 523 675 Email: [email protected] In November last year, we raised just over a $1000 at the Adelaide Vegan Festival held in Victoria Square. Huge thanks to volunteers Claire, Helena, Cynthia, Mel, Ros, Donna, Ethan and of course Vicky for being ‘Sunny’ for the day. Thank you also to artist Mary Brown from the Bittondi Printmakers

SA, Paintings of Sun bear Kong, by Bruce Williams

We’re also pleased to announce that during 2014 we sold a record 178 Adelaide Entertainment Books raising $2,405 for the bears, thanks to the sterling coordination of Anne Clark and Angela Brennan. Many thanks to all those who have been collecting

recycled bears for our fundraising stalls particularly vet nurse Mandi Alekna who will be running another teddy bear drive at Findon Veterinary Surgery in April. Please contact Pauline if you would like to volunteer at any of our upcoming fundraising stalls.

TASMANIA By Jan Ransley & Fiona Connolly Tel: 03 6229 5758 Email: [email protected] and [email protected] On 25 November 2014, our group held a fundraiser at the Big Red Box in New Norfolk, which combined shopping and socialising with around 35 people enjoying an afternoon of good food, great shopping and company. Around $500 was raised from 10% of sales donated on the day as well as a raffle. Thank you to Nicki of Big Red Box for hosting the event and also to our small band of volunteers who cooked and donated prizes.

The Tassie Group at The Big Red Box fundraiser

Over $2,000 has now been raised from 5 beautiful Jessica Rettig Rare Bag creations on the Free the Bears Facebook page over the last 6 months. And that won’t be the final total with one of the bags being donated back to raise further much needed dosh for the bears (big thank you to Robyn Marshall-Jung for this lovely gesture). This beautiful bear bag will be re-auctioned in the near future. Thank you so much to Jess Rettig for her love of bears and her generosity in donating these wonderful bags that have such important messages

Jess Rettig of Rare Bags Tasmania with one of the donated bags

of animal welfare and from personal experience, they create a lot of awareness and discussion wherever they’re seen.

page 09

Thank you to all those generous people who bid on these bags and to the lucky highest bidders, Daisy Mei Johnson, Greg Irons, Kathie Easterbrook Curlewis, Robyn Marshall-Jung and Kate Field. Thank you to the Teddy Bear Shop in Hobart who will be the first store to display a new life-size Sun bear donation stand. We can’t wait for them to arrive. A big thank you also for the $88 raised from the bear tin at the shop. We are in the planning stages for our next Tin Shake in Hobart and suburbs. Further details to be provided soon. If you’d like to help shake a tin for the bears, please contact Jan or Fee.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA PERTH Auction items needed! We are seeking compassionate people and businesses who can help us raise money by donating an item for our silent or live auction. If you own or work for a business or know of anyone who could help, please contact us at [email protected]. We would like to say a special thank you to Anne Auvache who has been busy been making silver jewellery in her free time. She sells her items at markets and generously donates all profits to Free the Bears. In December she raised $550. Thank you Anne, we are extremely appreciative of your willingness to help the bears. Buy your 2015/2016 Entertainment Book or Digital Book through us and help Free the Bears Pre-order your book now and be the first to receive yours in early May. To register your interest please contact the Perth office on 9244 1096 or [email protected]

WESTERN AUSTRALIA ALBANY Albany Support Group Chris Offer Tel: 08 9844 1973 Email: [email protected] Janet Traylen Tel: 08 9841 5140 Email: [email protected] We are delighted to report that the total profit for our Albany group for 2014 was $11,357.79. This was raised from sausage sizzles, donation tins, caravan park stalls, our annual street appeal, our Albany Show raffle, and $500 from a generous community donor. We duly celebrated our good year with Christmas drinks at Chris’s. Since our last newsletter we have held six sausage sizzles at Bunnings, which have averaged over $1000 profit each, including donations. Three of them were at very short notice when other fundraising groups withdrew. Well done to Chris, Christine and helpers for seizing these opportunities! In January we supported members Jill and Marco, who are fundraising for the FTB Dirty Dozen Challenge, at a stall at the Ocean Beach Caravan Park in beautiful neighbouring Denmark. Sales of cup cakes, secondhand novels, preserves and a raffle brought over $650 towards the challenge. A big double thank you to member Lynne Meads for her very kind donation of sausages to our December sausage sizzle, and for so generously donating her special birthday money of $700 to the bears. The latter will go towards the new cub house. What a selfless gesture! Thanks once again to Bunnings and the Ocean Beach Caravan Park for enabling us to realise these funds, to the Albany community for your ongoing support, and to all our wonderful FTB volunteers, especially Chris and Christine (our sausage sizzle queens) who have been tireless in their organising for the bears.

Gifts and Garments

Your purchases help us to protect, preserve and enrich the lives of bears throughout the world.

NEW SUN BEAR CUB “BABY GEORGE”

Cute and cuddly, our very own Baby George is named after George the Sun bear at our Cambodian sanctuary Cost $9 each (incl. GST) Postage $4 each (within Australia) or $6 each (O/S)

BELVADERE BEARS

Back by popular demand, these little bears make for the perfect gift. Just like Sun bears, what they lack in size they make up for in personality! Cost $7.50 each (incl. GST) Postage $3 each (within Australia) or $6 each (O/S)

RAJU

This unique and adorable plush toy named after Raju, the last dancing bear to be rescued from the streets of India. Will you help us provide this bear with a loving home for the rest of its days? Cost $16 each (incl. GST) Postage $7 each (within Australia) or $10 each (O/S)

PM 30/05/13 5:10

STICKER-W

indd 1

FREETHEBE

ARS.ORG

A

MOLLY BEAR

This gorgeous little Sun bear (much like its namesake) is a great gift idea for all occasions and guaranteed to bring a ray of sunshine into anyone’s life. Cost $16 each (incl.GST) Postage $7 each (within Australia) or $10 each (O/S)

CALICO BAG

New logo, with gusset and handles. Cost $9 each (incl. GST) Postage $3 each (within Australia) or $5 each (O/S)

page 10

TOM TOM BEAR

Named after Tom-tom, one of the biggest characters at our Cambodian sanctuary and famous worldwide as the only known Sun and Moon bear hybrid, this bear is perfect for cuddling. Cost $9 each (incl. GST) Postage $3 each (within Australia) or $6 each (O/S)

NEW FTB BASEBALL CAPS

Keep the sun off your head with these designer baseball caps featuring our FTB brand. Size adjustable Colour Black or Green Cost $12.50 each (incl. GST) Postage $4.00 each (within Australia) or $6.00 each (O/S)

ets indd

FREETHEBEARS.ORG 4

B

WRISTBANDS, MAGNETS AND STICKERS

Show the world your support. Cost $3.50 each (incl. GST) Postage $2 each (within Australia) or $4 each (O/S)

NEW JUTE CARRY BAG

Featuring ‘Chottu” a rescued sloth bear Size 30x35cm with large gussett and handles. Colour Natural Cost $10.00 each (inc. GST) Postage $3.00 each within Australia or $5.00 each (O/S)

NEW FTB LOGO T-SHIRT

BEAR T-SHIRT

FOIL PRINT T-SHIRT

FREE THE BEARS KEY RING

KARMA CUP

NEW FREE THE BEARS BEANIE HATS

SLOTH BEAR TEA TOWEL

MUGS WITH SLOTH BEAR PRINT

MUG WITH SUN BEAR CUB PRINT

TEA TOWEL

2015 WALL CALENDAR

New t-shirt with logo Sizes S ,M ,L, XL and XXL Colour White or Grey Cost $20 each (incl. GST) Postage $6 each (within Australia) or $13 each (O/S)

Silver coloured in box, beautifully crafted. Cost $7 each (incl. GST) Postage $2 each (within Australia) or $4 each (O/S)

Beautiful cotton tea towel featuring “Chottu”, a rescued Sloth bear in India. Cost $13 each (inc. GST) Postage $3 each (within Australia) or $5 each overseas

Emblazoned with our logo Cost $13 each (inc. GST) Postage $3 each (within Australia) or $5 each overseas

page 11

T-shirt new design. Sizes S, M, L, XL Cost $20 each (incl.GST) Colour Desert Sand, White, Ice Grey, Light Blue Postage $5 each (within Australia) or $12 each (O/S)

12oz hot or cold travel cup. Green and white with FTB Logo with green lid Cost $12.00 each (incl. GST) Postage $6.00 each (within Australia) or $9.00 each (O/S)

Beautiful photos of our rescued bears Cost $15 each (incl. GST) Postage $8 each (within Australia) or $12 each (O/S)

12 beautiful bears thanking you for your support all year round! Cost $23 each (incl. GST) Postage $3 each (within Australia) $5 each overseas

T-shirt with silver foil print of the bear on the front. Sizes S, M, L, XL Cost $25 each (incl. GST) Colour Black, Navy Postage $5 each (within Australia) or $12 each (O/S)

Cost $12 each (incl.GST) Postage $6 each (within Australia) or $8 each (O/S)

White mug with beautiful photo of our rescued Sun Bear Cubs Cost $15.00 each (incl. GST) Postage $8.00 each (within Australia) or $12.00 each (O/S)

GETINVOLVED APRIL COMING EVENTS WA STREET APPEAL Perth Friday 24th April If you are able to spare a few hours shaking a tin within Perth City, at train or bus stations, within your workplace please contact Nicole on 9244 1096 or [email protected]. NSW FUNDRAISING STAND AT THE ADELAIDE ANIMAL EXPO Wayville Pavilion, Royal Adelaide Showgrounds, Wayville Friday 24, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 April 10am-5pm, (12noon – 6pm Saturday) Volunteer to help or come and visit our fundraising stand at South Australia’s largest animal expo, including guest appearances by TV vet Dr Harry Cooper, Free the Bears’ patron. SA FUNDRAISING STAND AT ADELAIDE INDOFEST Rymill Park, Adelaide Sunday 12 April, 10.30am-4pm Volunteer to help or come and visit our fundraising stand at the largest most successful Indonesian festival in Australia.

MAY COMING EVENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS WA ANNUAL STREET APPEAL Various public venues throughout Albany Friday 8th May All helpers welcome, get in touch with Chris or Jan to help us raise some funds! SA FUNDRAISING STAND AT BODY MIND AND PSYCHIC EXPO Jubilee Pavilion, Royal Adelaide Showground Saturday 16th - Sunday 17th May

JUNE COMING EVENTS NSW FREE THE BEARS’ FUNDRAISER LUNCHEON/AUCTION. 18 Ida Ave, Mosman, Sydney 14th June, 2015 12.30pm Our major fundraising luncheon and action at Joan Pearson’s, $100 ticket, or get in touch to donate auction items.

HOLD THE DATE VIC PERTH GALA EVENT May 2015

WA GALA DINNER UWA Club Saturday 23rd May

PLEASE HELP US SAVE ON POSTAGE AND PAPER by receiving the FTB newsletter and receipts via your email. If your current email has changed or if you have a new email address, please send it our way. You’ll be helping us and the environment at the same time. Email your details [email protected].

MAKING A MONTHLY DONATION TO SUPPORT OUR BEARS With more bears arriving at our sanctuaries each month, many of them suffering from terrible injuries sustained at the hands of their captors, monthly donations are a great way to help provide for their care. Each tin of milk formula (essential for orphaned cubs) costs $15 while $30 helps provide honey and other tasty treats for a rescued Moon bear for a week. Monthly donations help you to plan your finances more easily, and help us to budget for the ongoing care of bears that require life-long support. Just contact Jeannie in our Perth office on [email protected] if you’d like to know how to set up monthly donations.

With a bumper year ahead for us across the globe at Free the Bears, we want to show our gratitude to all our supporters and partners, old and new. We would like to thank our new partners in the Vietnam government and the existing team at Cat Tien, as well as the new faces coming to work together at the facility. As you can see from their successes over the past year, our support groups are vital to Free the Bears and their tireless work is something we would never take for granted, thank you so much to all of you! We have also had so many donations of hand-made products and artworks for our events and online fundraising, so a special thank you to those who use their special skills to help the bears. We also want to thank every individual and publication that helps to promote Free the Bears’ message throughout the year, and especially in promoting the story of Blue, bringing awareness of the bears’ plight to so many more people. Special thank you to the South East Asia Globe for their support and sponsorship. A number of private foundations from around the world have generously lent their support to our programmes in Asia over recent months, including Papoose Wildlife Conservation Foundation and the Anderson Rogers Foundation in the US, The Primrose Trust, Marchig Animal Welfare Trust and Sylvanus Charitable Trust in the UK, and our good friends at Alertis Fund for Bear and Nature in the Netherlands. Once again our dear friends at Perth Zoo Wildlife Conservation Action have given generously to support our work protecting wild bear populations in Southeast Asia. Lastly, thank you to everyone who donated to the Dirty Dozen campaign during its run, our first foray into online fundraising. You helped us raise a great amount towards Bear House 8 which is critical to our ability to take in more rescued bears. Photographic credits for this newsletter are due to Peter Yuen, Wildlife SOS and FTB staff and volunteers. Cover photo: Blue resting in his sandpit Credit: Free the Bears / Peter Yuen

FREE THE BEARS FUND INC. PO Box 1393, Osborne Park DC , WA 6916, Australia

FREE THE BEARS UK PO Box 6395, Basildon, Essex, SS14 0NY

Tel: +61 (08) 9244 1096 Fax: +61 (08) 9244 4649 Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 (0) 7785 552856 Email: [email protected]

Charity Number: A1004507U ABN: 23 763 253 031 This newsletter is printed on recycled paper chlorine free. Re-life 50%

Patrons: Dr Harry Cooper BVSc MRCVS C.M. and Maneka Gandhi.

Charity Number: 1135682 FREE THE BEARS SE ASIA REGIONAL OFFICE PO Box 723, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Founder & Chairperson: Mary Hutton CEO: Matt Hunt