| Polly
Bear - an Update!
Polly enjoys a snack in his quarantine pen
We are delighted to announce that the Pollyanna Pickering Foundation’s
rescued Moonbear Polly is progressing very well in his new home
at the Tam Dao Sanctuary in Vietnam.
The Foundation funded the rescue of Polly, one of 12 bears
discovered in cramped 40ft cargo containers on an illegal bile
farm in the southern province of Binh Duong, near Ho Chi Minh
City. We told the story of Polly’s rescue - a gruelling,
three-day road-trip to safety – and arrival at Tam Dao
in the last issue of our newsletter. You
can read the full story here
Polly spent several weeks in a quarantine pen at the centre
– standard practise to prevent the possible spread of
disease to the other resident bears. Even this pen – above
– was spacious compared to his previous quarters, and
Polly enjoyed his new healthy diet. Tuan the director of the
Vietnamese sanctuary has since provided us with more information
about Polly and the other rescued bears. He estimated they were
last milked for bile about a month prior to the rescue. He believes
that all the bears were wild caught – Polly probably lost
his missing front paw in a snare - and that all of the bears
arrived at the farm either as cubs or juveniles. Polly settled
well at the rescue centre, although he did display some ‘stereotypical’
behaviour – repetitive movements such as headswaying or
pacing - typical of bears (and other animals) who have spent
many years in captivity,.
He recently provided us with some excellent news – Polly
has been integrated with a companion, another male bear named
John, who is blind and also missing a front paw. He told us
“John and Polly were integrated on November 18 after
they had lived next to each other in dens in the Quarantine
Area for a few months. They had positive interactions through
the door slides but were quite stereotypic, especially in the
afternoons. When the door slide was first opened, Polly and
John met straight away and embraced in a big bear hug. A long
bout of wrestling followed with both bears equally strong (although
John is a bit smaller). They had quiet moments, eating browse
or other enrichment but wrestling seems to be their favourite
past time for now. The first feed together went fine although
leading up to the feed there was a small growl between the two
as they both started head swaying at the slide and John must
have gotten startled, not seeing his new den mate.”
“Polly eats a bit faster and will try to eat some of
John’s food but this has not caused any problems and it’s
only a very small amount so far. Both bears seem more relaxed
and their stereotyping has reduced a lot since they have been
integrated.”
We would like to thank everyone who has helped us to give this
bear a chance to enjoy the rest of his life in the beautiful
surroundings of the Animals Asia sanctuary. Special thanks to
the people who have Befriended Polly, and those who have made
donations, including WHAC for organising an evening with Pollyanna,
which raised a wonderful £400.00. With your help we have
been able to send a cheque for £1100.00 to pay for Polly’s
care throughout the coming year. We are continuing to fundraise
in order to keep supporting Polly in his new home.
We are offering Foundation supporters the chance to Become
a Friend of Polly Bear, and help pay for his ongoing care, including
food, medical care and just as importantly his ongoing enrichment
programme, which will provide Polly with special treats to keep
him happy and occupied – treats like fruit ice blocks,
rubber kongs, honey, raisins and tofu-filled bamboo shoots –
all of which will keep him stimulated and occupied for hours!
For a minimum donation of £35.00 you can befriend Polly
Bear for one year. As a thankyou you will receive a personalised
friendship certificate including a photo of Polly and twice
yearly updates on his progress, along with a bookmark and a
set of four greetings cards featuring different bears of the
world painted by Pollyanna. Most excitingly everyone who befriends
Polly bear will be entered into a prize draw to win a signed
limited edition of Pollyanna’s sketch of a moonbear (above).
This print is strictly limited to just 100 copies. Every time
just ten friendship packages have been bought, one lucky winner
will be drawn, and will receive their picture.
The prints are also be available to purchase through our online
studio at £95.00 (post and packaging free). £50.00
from the sale of each picture will be donated to Polly bear’s
annual care.
Click
here to purchase securely
We would also urge you to write to the Chinese government to
stop other bears suffering the same cruel treatment. Click
here to download a sample letter
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