Free the Bears : Video: Rescue of critically endangered Pangolins and a video of 16 rescued beautiful bear cubs with many photo's

In December 2024 & January 2025 we rescued 5 critically endangered Sunda pangolins that were being trafficked. Tragically, 3 of the pangolins, including a pregnant female, didn't make it. Once rehabilitated & cleared by the vet team, we were recently able to release the 2 survivors to a safe & protected forest. Thank you for making this possible.

A rescued injured Pangolin

Pangolins are beautiful, shy & harmless solitary creatures, the only mammal on earth covered from head to toe in scales. They are also the world's most trafficked mammal, hunted & killed for their meat & scales which are used for traditional medicines (the scales are made of keratin, the same as finger nails, they have no scientificaly proven benefit). Thank you for helping rescue, rehabilitate & release pangolins to help the species survive. Thank you for being Bear (& pangolin) Carers. If you are not already, please join our family of Bear Carers, we're desperate for more Bear Carers to enable this vital work saving threatened species to continue:

https://youtu.be/S7XzgDIITfo?si=iQ0-7vKKW0FfQ174 Video of the 16 rescued cubs

In a neighbourhood in the Laos capital of Vientiane, nearby residents hear distressed cries coming from inside a house and call police.

Inside they find 16 endangered moon bear cubs, calling out in fear and hunger, in cages on a stark floor. The tiny creatures are potentially destined for a harrowing life at an illegal bear bile farm, after their mothers were most likely killed by poachers.

Meanwhile at a sanctuary high in the hills of Luang Prabang, at least eight-hours drive away, staff at the Perth-founded Free The Bears charity have been hearing whispers and seeing social media posts that indicate a large number of cubs are being traded.

They begin to ready themselves for a trip, in case they are called to bring the cubs back to join the 110-plus sun and moon bears on the property. They talk among themselves; one thinks he’s counted 13 cubs across various online groups, as others counsel that traders often inflate and misrepresent their quarry.

After being notified by the specialist environmental police, the seasoned rescuers drive the rough, winding roads into the city, stocking up on milk formula, bottles, kettles and other supplies. They set up at a guesthouse close to the police station and wait to be given the go-ahead.

But when the group is let into the house, they can’t quite believe what they see: 17 cubs, the smallest just 1.3kg, probably about two months old.

How dit Free the Bears begin? Australian Grandmother Mary is a hero:

https://freethebears.org/pages/origins