On International Sun Bear Day, let’s celebrate some of the conservation milestones we’ve achieved together.

To our wonderful zoo keepers, vet teams and of course, our friends internationally at Free the Bears, THANK YOU for making the world safer for a Sun Bear!

Here’s a little glimpse into how we’re working to make the world safer for Sun Bears:  
 
A safe home
In 2007, we welcomed our beautiful bears Bopha and Jamran to their forever home here at the Zoo. Both bears had been rescued as cubs from harsh beginnings. Now, in the sanctuary of Perth Zoo, our bears are provided with all they need to live a happy, healthy life, and are offered the bear-y best healthcare.


Better health care abroad
Through our partners Free the Bears, we helped support the first ever bear veterinary workshop in Laos! This brought together the small but growing community of specialist wildlife veterinarians to share ideas, discuss common challenges and protocols.  

Seven Free the Bears’ veterinary staff members travelled from Cambodia and Laos – ultimately, this knowledge-sharing will provide continually improved standards of medical care for bears overseas!

More opportunities to learn
Sun Bears are super elusive in the wild. That’s why we helped with the construction of a brand-new four-bedroom accommodation unit at Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary in Laos. 
This unit sleeps eight people and now the sanctuary can welcome more visiting researchers, interns, skilled volunteers and government staff involved in training programs. 
With more space to stay, it means there’s an increased capacity for conservation work at the Sanctuary. 

Importantly, our support has helped our friends in the field conduct super valuable research into the use of bear bile, as well as the unlock mysteries around the current status of wild bear populations. 



Volunteering expertise
Just this year, a heartbreaking 17 cubs were rescued in Laos! These poor bears were in desperate need of help, and thankfully Free the Bears was able to successfully rescue them from a potentially horrible life in the illegal pet trade.
 
Perth Zoo was proud to see three staff members fly out to volunteer own time and skills to helping set these small cubs up for success.

There’s always more work to be done and more bears to save, it’s super important we stop and celebrate the milestones along the way!

Want to help us achieve even more for Sun Bears? Please make a donation!