( 3 happy end videos) The Australian grandmother Mary Hutton founded 'Free the Bears': she had seen horrifying footage showing extraction of bile from traumatized bears in Asia

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 1993, Perth grandmother Mary Hutton saw a television report that changed the course of her life. The footage showed the horrifying extraction of bile from traumatised moon bears held in coffin-sized cages, a cruel practice used in traditional medicine across parts of Asia.

With no previous background in wildlife conservation, Mary began collecting signatures for a petition at her local shopping centre in Perth, Australia. What started as a small community effort quickly grew into a movement.

By 1995, Mary had founded Free the Bears.

Over the next three decades, her determination, and the support of thousands of people around the world, helped transform that grassroots effort into a leading conservation organisation protecting bears across Asia.

Today, Free the Bears operates the largest moon and sun bear sanctuary network in Southeast Asia and has supported the rescue of more than 1,000 bears from bile farms, illegal wildlife trade and other forms of exploitation.

An impressive rescue

Imagine spending your entire life staring at metal bars — never feeling grass under your feet, never seeing open skies above you. Then one day, after 27 long years, you finally step outside and look up for the very first time. That was the reality for a moon bear named Sen. According to a report by The Dodo, Sen was taken from the wild as a baby and confined to a tiny cage on a bile farm in Vietnam. For nearly three decades, he lived in extreme confinement. Bear bile farming — a practice in which bile is extracted for use in traditional medicine — had kept him imprisoned. Recently, however, bile farming was officially outlawed in Vietnam, opening a path to freedom for bears like Sen. Animal welfare group Animals Asia negotiated Sen’s surrender and transported him to their sanctuary. For the first time in 27 years, he had space to move, natural ground beneath him, and something most of us take for granted — the sky. Rescuers described how Sen couldn’t stop looking upward. He stared at the sky again and again, almost as if trying to understand its vastness. Think about the last time you walked outside after being indoors all day — the sunlight feels refreshing. Now imagine being indoors for nearly three decades. That moment becomes overwhelming, almost magical. Although bile farming is now illegal in Vietnam, more than 150 moon bears are still awaiting rescue. Organizations like Animals Asia continue working to free them, offering them a second chance at life. Sen is now learning how to simply “be a bear” again — exploring grass, splashing in water, relaxing in the sun. These are small joys to us, but for him, they are entirely new experiences. His story is a powerful reminder of resilience and the importance of compassion. Freedom, fresh air, and sunlight are things we rarely think about — yet for Sen, they marked the beginning of a brand-new life. Stay connected with Content Analysis for more inspiring stories that highlight both the challenges animals face and the hope created by rescue efforts. Reference The Dodo. “He Lived In A Tiny Cage For 27 Years — Now He's Seeing The Sky For The First Time.” By Caitlin Jill Anders, Published February 28, 2026.

Samenvatting van alle reddingen van beren in 2024 en ander wildlife door 'Free the Bears' een Australische dierenwelzijnsorganisatie in Azië

https://freethebears.org/

Vorige week hoorden onze partners van de Laotiaanse overheid over een illegaal vastgehouden  Maleise berenwelp en een ernstig bedreigde schubdier . 

Ons team sprong in actie en ging meteen op pad om de dieren te redden. Toen ze aankwamen, zagen ze een angstaanjagend tafereel : een klein Maleise berenwelp in een kooi die nauwelijks groter was dan zijn lichaam en een zieke, gewonde schubdier. Beide dieren zijn nu veilig  in ons Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary en krijgen deskundige zorg , hoewel ze ernstig getraumatiseerd zijn en nog niet uit de gevarenzone zijn. Dit brengt ons op 34 geredde beren in 2024 , een record (het vorige record was 27 geredde beren in 2005). 34 beren zijn een leven vol pijn, angst en lijden bespaard gebleven , allemaal dankzij uw vriendelijke steun. We zijn ongelooflijk dankbaar voor uw donaties, ze maken echt een verschil .

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Free the Bears - Our Story In 1993, Perth grandmother Mary Hutton's son Simon insisted she join him to watch a television program that would change her life. The segment contained horrifying footage of moon bears (Asiatic Black bears) held in coffin sized cages unable to move, with dirty catheters inserted directly into their gall bladder to 'milk' their bile for traditional 'medicine' (read more about bear bile farming here). Mary learned that thousands of bears were being held in these horrifying conditions throughout Asia, regularly milked for their bile to be used in traditional medicines. The next day, Mary drew up a petition and stood at the entrance of the local shopping mall collecting signatures to help “Free the Bears”. 

She collected thousands of signatures and a group of like-minded people determined to help bears and in 1995 registered Free the Bears Fund as a not-for-profit charity (Charity No: A1004507U). As Mary organised raffles, film nights and other events to raise awareness about the plight of Asia’s bears, word of her work spread and requests for help arrived. After rescuing a pair of sun bears from Cambodia, having seen there were more bears in need, Mary began construction of the Cambodia Bear Sanctuary. This is now the world’s largest sanctuary for sun bears and has educated hundreds of thousands of Cambodians about the threats facing wild bear populations

.A telephone call from India led to Free the Bears joining Wildlife SOS and International Animal Rescue in the seemingly impossible challenge of freeing India’s dancing bears. The first group of 25 bears were rescued on Christmas Eve of 2002. Over the next 7 years Free the Bears helped provide seed money for more than 500 dancing bear families to set up new livelihoods. In 2009 the last of India’s dancing bears was handed over and the centuries old tradition was ended. 2003 saw the opening of a Bear Rescue Centre in Luang Prabang, Laos. In 2005, when Mary's son Simon was fatally injured after being knocked down by a car while building the Cambodia Bear Sanctuary, Mary wasn't sure she could continue. But she knew Simon would want her to continue to help the bears and we opened a third Bear Rescue Centre in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam, in 2008. 

 In 2017 we added the multi-species Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary. Expansion of the sanctuaries in all 3 countries continues as we cater to additional rescues. In 2010, Free the Bears was registered as a charity in the United Kingdom (Charity number: 1135682). Free the Bears has helped rescue over 1,000 bears of the world's most vulnerable bear species (sun bears, moon bears and sloth bears) and we provide ongoing care to hundreds of rescued sun bears and moon bears at the sanctuaries we operate in three countries. For as long as there are bears in need, Free the Bears will strive to stop their suffering. 

As well as rescue and rehabilitation, we continue to tackle the threats to Asia's bears. These threats are numerous and endemic, but with consistent effort from local communities up to national governments, we believe ending the suffering of bears is achievable. Besides habitat loss, one of the main threats to bears in Asia is the illegal wildlife trade.

 Many of our rescued bears are rescued from poachers, exotic pet owners, or people planning to use them in traditional medicine. Poachers kill or capture bears via hunting or snare traps, selling them locally or smuggling them abroad. Another grave threat to Asia's bears are bear bile farms. Despite bear bile farming becoming illegal in the countries in which we operate (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia), it is estimated less than 200 bears remain in bear bile farms in Vietnam (down from 4,300 in 2005, however, less than 400 have been rescued in this period) and under 100 in Laos (2023 estimates). There are an estimated 10,000 bears in bile farms in China. It is suspected that almost all bears in Vietnam and Laos bile farms were taken from the wild and additional reports indicate that wild bear numbers are plummeting. To tackle this problem, Free the Bears and other wildlife conservation organisations are working with governments to strengthen laws and increase capacity for enforcement, working with traditional medicine practitioners to promote synthetic and herbal alternatives to bear bile, and addressing consumer demand with education campaigns about the cruelty inflicted upon bears in farms. We're beginning to see positive results from these efforts. In a recent study of Vietnamese bear bile farmers, farmers reported a substantial reduction in consumer demand for bear bile. Worryingly, they also reported a substantial reduction in food budgets for bears, increasing the urgency to rescue these bears before it's too late. We never pay for bears (paying for bears would contribute to a market for wildlife). 

We work with government authorities who confiscate bears (and other illegally held wildlife), handing them over to Free the Bears for rescue and rehabilitation. Free the Bears works with communities, schools and organisations across Asia to change attitudes and raise awareness of the wildlife trade. We work with universities and other institutions who conduct critical research. We also work with government, law enforcement agencies and other charities to create and implement a framework to combat wildlife traders. Despite each country facing a unique set of challenges and issues to overcome, we will continually strive to achieve our mission of protecting, preserving and enriching the lives of bears throughout the world. Free the Bears. Mary’s selfless efforts have been acknowledged with Pride of Australia awards, an Honorary Doctorate and Medal of the Order of Australia. She’s been an Australian of the Year finalist on multiple occasions. Now in her 80’s, Mary continues to Free the Bears from our Head Office, located in the garage of her Perth, Australia home. Mary has always said that with true belief one person can make a difference, but with help from others along the way, so much more can be achieved. With an end to bear bile farming in sight. your support is very much appreciated. Tax Deductible (Australia) Change currencies using the currency selector Subscribe to our newsletter

 Bekijk een samenvatting van alle reddingen in 2024 door hier te klikken. 2025 lijkt alweer een uitdagend jaar te worden . De enorme toestroom van reddingen betekent dat onze opvangcentra opnieuw moeten uitbreiden . De honderden geredde beren die aan onze zorg zijn toevertrouwd, hebben uitgebreide revalidatie en levenslange zorg nodig , en er zijn meer beren in galboerderijen en de illegale handel in wilde dieren die onze hulp hard nodig hebben , een enorm bedrag  om te bereiken voor een kleine non-profitorganisatie als Free the Bears. Wanneer u deze Geefperiode de liefde deelt , neem dan de beren op door een kerstdonatie te doen of een ethisch cadeau of e-card naar een geliefde te sturen (zie hieronder). Uw donaties hebben een enorme en blijvende impact . Dank u wel.  Ik wens u een veilig, gezond en vreugdevol feestseizoen. Prettige feestdagen en nogmaals bedankt voor uw vriendelijke, voortdurende steun. Tot ziens in 2025!