Bear Rescue
Bear rescues are a sad
necessity in Ecuador. Farmers may shoot bears they suspect of
eating their corn crop or killing their cattle. This is
illegal, but does happen. Often, if the bear is a mother, it
results in one or more orphaned bear cubs, unable to survive alone in
the wild and needing to be rescued. Sometimes the cubs are
sold or kept as pets in unsuitable conditions
The Ministry of the
Environment in Ecuador asks us to rescue the illegally-held captive
bears that they hear about. We have permissions as necessary
from the Ministry, and also the support of the police, for which we are
very grateful. However, we do not receive any funding from
the state, so we rely on donations to carry out our bear rescues and
the subsequent costs of rehabilitation and liberation.
Rescued bear cubs have to
be tranquilized to be moved. A medical check from the vet
often reveals that they have damaged their teeth and claws in their
attempts to escape. An unsuitable diet in captivity may have
left the cub malnourished and ill. Depending how long the cub
has been captive, its growth may be stunted.
To rescue a bear cub,
give it the necessary care and rehabilitation and return it safely to
the wild in a suitable location usually takes at least a year and can
cost up to $50,000. Fortunately, we have the help and support
of various individuals and organizations who provide some of the
services and equipment we need, so we are usually left needing around
$25,000 for each rescued cub. Any donor donating $25,000 or
more will have the right to name the cub - email us on
info("at")andeanbear("dot")org if you would like to help in this way.
All donations,
however small, will help us to rescue the next
little bear in need of our help, so please give whatever you can or
find out more about other
ways to help.
We never know when we
will next receive a phone call telling us to rescue a bear cub.
Once we or the Ministry have been informed of an
illegally-kept cub, we have to act fast before the cub is moved or even
killed. There is no time for fundraising before a raid!
For this reason, we would ideally like to have a fund of
around $5,000 at all times, to ensure that lack of cash never has to
prevent us from rescuing a bear. Do you know of any
organization or individual who would be prepared to donate to our
Bear
Rescue Fund?
Andean
Bear Conservation Project: Bear Rescue
The Andean Bear Conservation Project rescues orphaned or
illegally-captive bears and bear cubs in Ecuador
with the aim of
rehabilitating and releasing them where possible.
