Free The Bears

Free the Bears is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and welfare of bears, with a primary focus on Asiatic black bears, sun bears, and sloth bears. The organization was founded in 1995 by an Australian woman named Mary Hutton, who was inspired to take action after visiting a bear farm in Cambodia and witnessing the conditions in which the bears were kept.

Since its founding, Free the Bears has grown into an international organization with projects across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. The organization works to rescue bears from the wildlife trade, rehabilitate them, and release them back into the wild whenever possible. Free the Bears also works to educate local communities about the importance of bear conservation and the impact of the wildlife trade on these animals.