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Your first donation will take place today (immediately). From the next month, your monthly donation will be on your chosen date (either the 5th or 15th of the month).

Find out more about Anh and Em

Rescued: July 2020
Home: Vietnam
Likes: Climbing and foraging
Best friend: Each other

Male moon bears Anh and Em were stolen from their mother and wild home at just four months old. Had they not been rescued in time, the pair might have ended up caged on a bile farm, forced to perform in a circus, or sold into the exotic pet trade.

Anh and Em

But today, Anh and Em have grown in size and confidence. This cheeky duo loves to climb, splash, wrestle and forage for all the tasty treats their carers have hidden for them.

With a natural lifespan of around 30 years, we need your help to provide fresh foods, exciting toys, expert vet care and everything two rescued bears need to live happy and healthy lives.

Anh and Em are our first-ever rescued bears to be available for sponsorship together. This means you’ll get updates on not just one, but two beautiful bears as they navigate sanctuary life, cause mischief, make new friends and so much more.

Have Anh and Em won you over? Become their special sponsor today.

Find out more about David

Rescued: 2008
Home: Vietnam
Likes: Wrestling with other bears
Best friend: Everyone!

David was one of the first sun bears to set paw in our Vietnam sanctuary. His years of experience here mean he’s helped many new and nervous little sun bears settle in.

His tried and tested technique to win them over is to gently approach and embrace them in a warm bear hug until they relax and start to play.

But life wasn't always fun-filled and happy for David. In Vietnam, sun bears risk being illegally poached from the wild to be sold as exotic pets or farmed for their bile.

Fortunately, David was confiscated by Vietnam forestry officials and given a safe and loving home here at our sanctuary.

David

In early 2022 our usually bouncy and bright boy David became suddenly and severely lame. After exhausting all other options, in April this brave bear underwent surgery to remove his left hindlimb.

Just a couple of months later, David was reintroduced to his furry friends and he’s been happily wrestling away as if they’d never been apart.

David's courage and resilience tell us his days of running around and causing mischief are not yet behind him.

Have you fallen head over heels for David's charms? Become his special sponsor today.

Find out more about Mausi

Rescued: 2007
Home: Vietnam
Likes: Lounging in her hammock
Best friend: Merlin

Sweet and playful moon bear Mausi was found stuffed into a secret bus compartment. Illegally poached from the wild, she was likely headed to a bear bile farm.

Mausi was rushed to our sanctuary alongside her brother Olly and sister Mara at barely a few weeks old, weighing just 2kg. The cubs should have been with their mother in their beautiful forest home.

Mausi

At our sanctuary, with lots of tender loving care, Mausi blossomed into a beautiful big bear. She has a huge stunning lemon yellow crescent and the cutest little snowdrop of white fur on her dark nose.

Although Mausi likes to bask in the sun, she also loves it when the days grow cooler. You see, that's when she starts to "fill out for winter" and gets to enjoy all the extra fatty foods like sticky peanut butter –yum!

Is Mausi a bear after your own heart? Become her special sponsor today.

Find out more about Murphy

Rescued: 2015
Home: Vietnam
Likes: Swinging, climbing and generally getting up to mischief
Best friend: Goldie

Gorgeous sun bear Murphy arrived at our sanctuary dirty, starving and utterly traumatised. His mother was likely killed in front of him by poachers looking to put a price on his life. He was found stuffed into a backpack as his traffickers attempted to smuggle him out of the country.

But he was saved just in time.

Murphy was so young when he came to Animals Asia’s sanctuary that he had to be bottle-fed around the clock. He even learned to take his first steps here.

Murphy

All grown up now, you wouldn’t recognise him. He’s usually a dark blur against the greenery as he zooms around with his best friend Goldie, climbing and wrestling the day away. 

If he feels he’s lacking attention he’s learned is that if he makes cub vocalisations, humans and bears alike will drop everything to give him love and fuss. He has everyone wrapped around his little paw!

Is Murphy playfully pulling at your heartstrings? Become his special sponsor today.

Find out more about Smudge

Rescued: 2014
Home: China
Likes: Grass – she spent so long on concrete
Best friend: Wai Kee

Smudge has a story like no other. In the Spring of 2021, she was one of over a hundred bears who made the epic journey from Nanning bear farm to our sanctuary in Chengdu.

Smudge was the last cub born on the farm before Animals Asia took over their care. She was found in a humid, pitch-dark cell at the back of a concrete yard, crying for her mother.

Thankfully help arrived just in time and Smudge never had to experience the painful life of a bear exploited for her bile.

Smudge

Today, Smudge is a sweet and sensitive soul who is happiest when playing outside under the warm sun or snuggled up in a basket for a snooze with best friend Wai Kee.

After years of being doted on by her dedicated bear carers, Smudge has turned into a little bit of a princess, with very high standards. She’ll delicately nibble her fruit, and turn her nose up at anything less than perfect. After all she's been through, we’re sure you’ll agree Smudge deserves the best.

Has Smudge pawed her way into your heart? Become her very special sponsor today.

Find out more about Vandrew

Rescued: 2010
Home: Vietnam
Likes: Playing 'submarine' in the pool, wrestling with friends
Best friends: Bosley and Sharky

Vandrew was rescued from a hideous bile farm in a terrible state. He was extremely skinny, half-blind and missing his entire right forearm. He had scars all over his head from repeatedly rubbing on the cage bars in frustration.

Vandrew

His scars, still visible, are a reminder of his heartbreaking past. But they’re healed. And today, Vandrew is a gentle giant who loves to swing and splash away his days at our sanctuary.

He may only have three legs and one eye, but he can wrestle with the best of them! And among his group, no one can beat mighty Vandrew in the competition of holding their breath underwater! He loves this game, and bear carers know that if they spot a dark figure moving around under the pool surface making bubbles, it's Vandrew!

Does Vandrew’s fighting spirit resonate with you? Become his special sponsor today.

Find out more about Bubu

Rescued: 2010
Home: Vietnam
Likes: Lounging on his hammock
Best friend: Milagro and Zebedee

Friendly chubby bear Bubu was rescued from a bile farm where he had been kept in a cage so small, he could barely turn around. He arrived at our Vietnam sanctuary small, undernourished and suffering from a number of terrible health issues.

Bubu

Bubu has an enlarged heart that makes breathing hard on hot days and after exercise. But he receives daily medication to help him live comfortably and is a star pupil in the physiotherapy program. But despite all his health problems, Bubu is a blissfully happy and playful bear.

A food lover, Bubu is busy for much of the day foraging for dropped peanuts! Otherwise, you’ll likely find him slow-motion wrestling with his fluffy friends Milagro and Zebedee, blowing bubbles in the pool practising for the next Bearlympics or snoozing in his hammock.

Is Bubu the bear for you? Become Bubu’s special sponsor today.

Find out more about Olly

Rescued: 2007
Home: Vietnam
Likes: Being the centre of attention
Best friend: His sister Mausi

Long and lanky boy, Olly, is a bit of a jester. He always seems to be doing something silly, especially if there's a camera around.

But the first few weeks of Olly’s life were filled with terror. He was captured from the wild as a tiny cub alongside his sisters Mara and Mausi  – their mother likely killed in front of them. Thankfully, the tiny 2kg cubs were rescued before they could be sold as exotic pets or to a bile farm.

Olly

Today, fun-loving Olly loves to wrestle and splash in the pool with his pals, fellow moon bears Lexi, Yin Yang and Cromwell.

A real foodie, Olly has an insatiable appetite and when he's not goofing around, you can be sure he'll be foraging for food – there's not much he wouldn't do for a juicy apple.

Is there a moon-bear-shaped space in your heart that only sweet Olly can fill? Sponsor this special bear today.

Find out more about Kevin

Rescued: 2006
Home: China
Likes: Pretty much everything
Best friend: Sepp, a blind bear with mobility issues

Kevin is quite possibly the most joyful moon bear on the planet. He's affectionately known as our smiling bear as he always seems to have a big goofy grin spread across his handsome, happy face.

Poor Kevin didn't always have it so easy though. He arrived at our sanctuary in a bad way. He'd lost a paw in a hunter's snare. And a decade spent caged as a bile bear meant this poor boy was in a lot of pain.

Kevin

But today Kevin’s pain is managed and he doesn't let his missing paw stop him from enjoying life to the full. He lives happily with a group of other special bears. Some are missing limbs and others are blind, but all are gentle and kind. Kevin loves to play and wrestle and is the most popular bear in his group.

Has Kevin’s courage and love for life captivated your heart? Become his special sponsor today.

Find out more about Benji

Rescued: 2005
Home: China
Likes: Digging, swimming and crushing coconuts
Best friend: Poupouce

This impossibly gorgeous, huge Tibetan brown bear, is Benji. He has the most wonderful golden highlights in his thick, glossy, brown coat.

Until his rescue, Benji lived in a deep, dusty pit with his sister Poupouce. Saved by the monks from poachers when they were cubs, they’d become too large and dangerous to care for and we brought the siblings to sanctuary.

Benji

Thankfully, those days are long behind them. Today Benji is a strong, handsome and happy bear, who shares a large enclosure with Poupouce. He is a force of nature as he digs his way to middle-earth, thunderously leaps around the grass or makes tidal waves in his pool, savouring every day of his freedom.

Has beautiful Benji stolen your heart? Become his very special sponsor today.

Find out more about Delaney

Rescued: 2000
Home: China
Likes: Chilling in the pool
Housemate: Ciro

Tall, dark and handsome…. Delaney is the perfect bear.

He was one of the first 63 bears rescued and brought to our China bear sanctuary. Although he’s one of our more senior residents, he’s still one of the most playful bears at the sanctuary. And who can blame him for his prolonged cub-hood, when the first years of his life were spent in a cage barely bigger than his body, on a bear bile farm.

Delaney

Now that Delaney is free to express himself, he’s rather meticulous, taking hours to construct the perfect nest out of leaves and straw. He’ll often start from scratch if it isn’t quite right.

Delaney is a real softie and at bedtime, often chooses to cosily cuddle up with his furry friends. When winter rolls around you’re guaranteed to find him resting in the same dig pit each year.

Could you befriend gentle, elderly bear, Delaney? Become his very special sponsor today.

Find out more about JudeJasperina

Rescued: 2014
Home: China
Likes: Destroying hessian sacks and munching on marshmallows
Best friend: Barnaby

JudeJasperina spent years on a bile farm in Nanning, China (pictured below). She arrived at our sanctuary in Chengdu in 2021, and since then she has shown us what a brave and determined big bear she is. She’s overcome her fears and lives every single day of her new life to the fullest.

judejasperina

An active and strong bear, JudeJasperina is always the first one to go out and explore the enclosure. Here, she likes to climb up the wooden structures and stretch out on the highest platform. Or she’ll spend many hours floating and splashing in the pool.

She always has a great appetite and really likes her main diet of fruit and vegetables. But she especially likes sweet foods like jam, marshmallows and honey.

Her golden crescent is quite unusual in that it drapes over the top of her arms as if she’s wearing an off-the-shoulder top. It matches her cheeky smile.

Could you be the kindred spirit JudeJasperina is looking for? Become her very special sponsor today.

WHY SHOULD YOU SPONSOR A BEAR?

Moon, sun and brown bears across Asia are under threat of being illegally poached from the wild and sold into lives of enslavement on bile farms, in circuses or as exotic pets. 

Most rescued bears arrive at our sanctuaries battered and broken-hearted after years of pain and suffering. By becoming a sponsor, your monthly gift could help send our emergency bear rescue team to the aid of desperate bears, provide vital medical and veterinary treatment to help broken bears mend and afford delicious and nutritious food to feed once-empty bear bellies.

You'll also be helping to support Animals Asia's campaign to end the outdated practice of bear farming in Vietnam. Animal Asia’s award-winning bear sanctuaries provide a safe, natural environment where bears can live out the rest of their lives free from suffering. It’s essential, but expensive, work that we can only carry out with the kindness and generosity of supporters like you.

Delaney (front) and Jasper safe and happy at our China sanctuary
Delaney (front) and Jasper safe and happy at our China sanctuary

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

About the program

For just $45$47£23€35$352 per month – less than $1.50$1.50£1€1.50$10 a day – you can sponsor one of our rescued bears and help provide ongoing care: vet and medical treatment, shelter in our secure and semi-natural bear enclosures, and healthy food and enrichment.

Your monthly sponsorship contributions provide invaluable support, helping us ensure that we can care for these bears for the rest of their lives and that they can leave their horrific pasts behind them.

Contributing monthly is the most cost-effective way to support us and acts as a lifeline for Asia’s animals. It means that more of your donation each month can go directly to helping the bears.

To make sure that all of our deserving bears benefit equally from your generosity, the contributions you send are combined with those from other bear sponsors and used to pay for medical care, food and enrichment such as toys and healthy snacks and maintaining the bear housing and enclosures. The funds also support our captive animal welfare and cat and dog programs – thereby helping Animals Asia work towards an end to all animal suffering in Asia.

As a sponsor, you can be safe in the knowledge that your support directly helps our rescued bears and other animals who need it most.

In return for your support, we’ll send you a welcome pack that includes a photo of your bear in a specially printed frame and information about their character and well-being. We’ll also send you a great Sponsor a Bear tote bag as a token of our thanks.

Each year, we will send you an updated photo of your bear, as well as regular Animals Asia updates to keep you informed of our work and campaigns.

We don't ask sponsors to commit for any specific length of time. You can sign up to sponsor your bear on a monthly basis indefinitely and can stop your sponsorship at any time.

Caring for rescued bears is a long-term commitment for Animals Asia. As our bears need sponsorship for the whole of their lives, we’re hugely indebted to those of you who are able to commit to long-term sponsorships to help support our work.

Animals Asia strives to keep administration costs low so that more of your money goes straight to the animals. By joining a regular monthly giving program you’re helping to keep these costs to a minimum.

You can see further information on how your kind monthly donations help Asia's animals here.

About becoming a sponsor

You can make automatic monthly contributions by credit card or, if you are located in the UK or EU, you can pay by direct debit from your bank account.

Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept payments by cheque.

Paying by credit card or direct debit helps keep our administration costs low and ensures that your contributions directly benefit the animals.

Our Sponsor a Bear program has been set up as a monthly giving program in response to feedback from our supporters. It’s designed as a way for donors to make a long-term regular commitment to our work in a way that is also simple for us to administer and low in extra costs – which means that a greater portion of your contributions can go directly to animals in need.

By committing to regular monthly contributions you provide us with a reliable source of funding for the bears at our sanctuaries and help us plan for the future. Although we welcome donations of any kind, offering a wide selection of donation options adds greatly to our overall administration costs.

If you would like further information on alternative donation methods please contact your local Animals Asia office.

You can change your giving method at any time – simply email [email protected] or call your local Animals Asia office.

You can change your billing address yourself at any time by logging into your My Animals Asia account and updating your address in the My Details section, or by emailing [email protected] or calling your local Animals Asia office.

You can cancel your sponsorship at any time – simply email [email protected] or call your local Animals Asia office.

About the bears

The sponsorship program currently includes a handful of moon bears and sun bears living at our sanctuaries in China and Vietnam. These bears have been carefully chosen by our bear management team according to their character, age and health condition.

The selection of bears on our sponsorship program only changes if one of our current sponsor bears passes away. In such instances, the bear management team choose another bear to add to the program.

No, the costs of rehabilitating and caring for a wild animal throughout their life is very high, which means that all of our bears require more than one sponsor to support their basic needs.

If you would like to be the exclusive sponsor of a particular bear, find out more about becoming a Bear Guardian.

Our sanctuaries in China and Vietnam are open to the public on two days a month and by prior arrangement only.

For further information see Visiting the Bear Rescue Centres.

Due to limited resources and public safety, we cannot accept visitors at other times.

Unfortunately, we can’t accept personal gifts for our bears. If you would like to send a virtual gift to our bears, you may like to do so by choosing one of our ‘Gifts for the Bears’.

When the bears first arrive at our sanctuary they’re given nicknames by our staff and are later given a permanent name by generous donors, which we will not change. Sponsor a Bear gives you the opportunity to help support the bears at our sanctuaries - most of whom have been named already. If you’re interested in naming a bear you might like to find out more about becoming a Bear Guardian.

If your bear falls ill, your contributions will help cover the cost of the medical care required to keep them healthy.

If your bear passes away we will send you a letter to notify you. In such instances, your sponsorship will be directly transferred to another bear on our program.

* Your monthly sponsorship gifts are used to help your sponsor bear, and all the bears in our care. Your gifts are used to cover the costs of running the bear sanctuaries and giving all our bears the very best lives, and to help Animals Asia work towards an end to all animal suffering in Asia.