Animal welfare organization Free The Bears calls for advertising and production industry support

Free The Bears, an international wildlife conservation and animal welfare organization, is asking for collaborative assistance from the advertising and production industry, and for all of those artistic art directors, directors, or anyone with a creative flair to come forward with your skills.

This year, Free The Bears is 21, and they are holding an online auction to raise funds.

Working in the artistic field, they are hoping some creatives might like to draw or paint a picture of a bear, or donate existing art pieces for them to auction during November of this year.  They would need to receive your art piece by the end of October.

Joji Jacob, Executive Creative Director of DDB Singapore, was the first artist to donate, with the image above.

Free The Bears work with local communities and governments throughout Asia to save three of the worlds least-known bear species – sun bears, moon bears (asiatic black bears) and sloth bears – from misery, torture and the threat of extinction. It was founded in 1995 by Mary Hutton and, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of volunteers throughout Asia, Australia and Europe, 100% of donations go directly towards freeing bears from torture and exploitation.

Free The Bears has five areas of focus:

1. Rescue: Working with government task forces, Free The Bears locate and rescue bears from poachers, trophy pet owners, illegal bear bile farmers and inhumane and illegal restaurateurs / operators who sell ‘bear bile’ for ineffective medicinal purposes and ‘bear paw soup’ as a status symbol to a wealthy and unscrupulous elite.  This is an issue of wildlife preservation and conservation.  Hunted and caged in appalling conditions, the bears are slowly tortured for their parts.

2. Sanctuary: No longer fit for the wild, hundreds of traumatised bears need a safe home. Free The Bears has partnered with governments and local organisations to build and maintain world-class bear sanctuaries, including:

– the world’s largest bear sanctuary: the Agra Bear Rescue Facility in India

– the world’s largest Sun bear sanctuary: the Cambodian Bear Sanctuary

– financial support of partner programs, facilities and sanctuaries across Asia

3. Education: Free The Bears use these sanctuaries to teach local schools and families about their precious wildlife and they support mobile education teams to deliver environmental education to communities living in close proximity to threatened wildlife and habitats.

4. Advocacy: Whilst Free The Bears succeeded in lobbying governments to introduce protective legislation, today thousands of bears remain caged and abused in appalling conditions across Asia. They need to keep lobbying to see these laws enforced.

5. Fundraising: Every cent goes directly to the bears and equipping local people to continue the fight.  Free The Bears want to raise even more, to do more, and to stop the cruelty.  

Local and international support for Free The Bears is growing and they know that one day they can put an end to the crisis. But they need to sustain their operations and raise awareness to build widespread local support for the protection of bears.  It’s here where they need your help.

Free The Bears are hoping that you are interested in coming on board with us for our fundraising auction. Our plan is to auction 21 special pieces for their 21st anniversary.

For additional information, or to send your artworks, please contact:

Email: thesleepingwolf2@gmail.com