SPANA is an international charity which helps working animals around the world. 

SPANA work in the developing countries of the world where millions of people are dependent on their animals – horses, donkeys, mules, elephants – for a living. 

What SPANA does and where

SPANA treats animals, it teaches the owners about animal care and it trains local professionals and communities.  SPANA works in countries such as Somaliland, Tanzania, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Peru, Liberia, Mongolia, Kenya, and Cameroon.   You can find out more about its work here.

And they know that from their visits in mobile clinics to out of the way places, many of the animals can suffer terribly from tetanus and they can die from it as well.

The problem: tetanus can kill

Just a small scratch is enough for tetanus bacteria to enter their stream.  And then they need treatment immediately – if they don’t get it, the animal is not likely to survive.

The solution:  to vaccinate against tetanus

The simple solution is to vaccinate the animals against tetanus

Introducing Mory

Mory’s story is typical.

He transports waste to rubbish dumps in Mali.  The work is backbreaking, in scorching heat and a hazardous environment.

Introducing Mory
Image © SPANA

An open wound on Mory’s back getes worse as the cart knocks his back. His wound is the perfect place for tetanus bacteria to enter his body – and multiply.

But Mory’s owner saw Mory’s wound was getting worse.  SPANA’s mobile clinic was luckily close by. Their vets cleaned the wounds, sprayed them with antiseptic and dressed them.  They gave Mory a vaccine to stop tetanus and gave Mory’s owner advice about harnessing him correctly to stop the cart running into the wound.

How you can help animals like Mory

You can help with a donation to vaccinate many animals like Mory and keep them safe from tetanus.

Please donate here.  Every vaccination makes a difference to a hard-working animal like Mory.

• £20 could vaccinate 8 animals against tetanus. 
• £45 ...could pay for bandages, antiseptics and anti-inflammatory medicine to treat the wound of a working animal at risk of developing tetanus.
• £80 ...could pay for medicines, food and bedding to treat an animal with a mild case of tetanus at the SPANA stables for three days

Mory says THANK YOU on behalf of all his friends!

On World Wildlife Day (3^rd March), Free the Bears set out to rescue a little moon bear cub.

The cub had been seen for sale on social media.  He was chained to a pole by the neck.

And Free The Bears managed to rescue him – he was terrified.   They transferred him to their Luang Prabang Wildlife Sanctuary and the cub nursery there.

Since his arrival, he’s gained weight and confidence.  Not only that, he has a new name – Rupert!

So here he is..... Enjoy!

Free the Bears have also been involved in another rescue - and we wait to see what happens to this poor little bear who is in a pitiful state in Vietnam.

The male bear has been caged for 20 years - he did have a female moon bear friend, but she sadly died.  The male bear is very sick, he isn't eating and things don't look good for him.   Free the Bears set out today, 17 March, on the 10 hour journey to see what they can do to help him.   They will try to bring him to sanctuary to treat him or, at least, reduce his suffering.

Free the Bears say that non-profit  WildAct Vietnam helped fund this rescue from proceeds of the amazing storybook 'Saving Sorya: Chang & the Sun Bear' which was inspired by a stint of volunteering at Free the Bears Cambodia. 

Good luck to this moon bear and thank you to everyone at Free the Bears. 

Visit their facebook page for updates. 

Visit their website to see how you can help. 

Four Paws have rescued two bears kept in absolutely appalling conditions.  Xuan and Mo are safe in the bear sanctuary Ninh Binh, after a 10 hour drive.  They were rescued on 23rd March 2021.

In short, the Four Paws team say they have never seen more cruel bear keeping conditions.

Bears Xuan and Mo have been kept in the basement of a shop since they were cubs.

And get this – there were no windows.  So the bears were in darkness. There was no light.  There was no fresh air. They just have the rusty bars of their tiny cages.

Xuan and Mo saw light, occasionally, when their owner came to feed them.   And also when the owner came to puncture their gallbladder with a needle.  This is painful.  Bile is extracted from the bears and the bile is used for medicinal purposes by the owner’s family.

The bears wanted out.  And Four Paws wanted to get them out.  When the team arrived, they say the bears were quite calm.  It was as if they knew they were off to a better life. 

Please donate to help Xuan and Mo
as they start a new life at the bear sanctuary

So Four Paws visited the owner to see if they could rescue the bears.

The room the bears are in had to be lit up with flashlights to see the cages and the animals.  The air stank of faeces.

The two bears have come to Four Paws’ bear sanctuary Ninh Binh.  There they will have the life they deserve.  They will get the veterinary care they both need; they will be able to enjoy access to a big outdoor enclosure; and they'll have bedding material, showers and enrichment.  In short, they will have a new life.

For the first three weeks, they will be in quarantine to ensure no possible disease could transfer to the other bears there.  They will have medical care, be introduced carefully to a healthier diet and have a chance to get to know the people looking after them.

A huge well done and thank you to everyone involved.

Good luck, Xuan and Mo!  Be involved in their future!

Our thoughts are with you both and the team looking after you.

You can still help Xuan and Mo today and other bears like them by making a donation.  They are counting on us all to help them.  Four Paws says that:

£10 could feed a rescued bear like Mo and Xuan for a day.
£25 could help to provide enrichment for an ex-bile bear.
£50 could contribute towards a veterinary check and treatment for bears suffering from gallbladder or kidney disease.
£90 could help to cover pain relief medication for bears rescued from a lifelong time of confinement.
£150 could help FOUR PAWS to continue to research, reveal and rescue more suffering animals in need and bring them to our sanctuaries where they will be cared for and loved.

Please donate here.

Images on this blog ©Four Paws