Paws and watch ‘Bears About the House’...!

British-born conservationist Giles Clark usually specialises in working with big cats – he previously appeared on the documentary Tigers About the House.

But as anyone who saw the first part of Bears About the House last week knows, he’s now branched out into helping another species.

Cameras have been following his mission to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and to help build a pioneering new bear sanctuary in Laos.

He explains: “I have had a longstanding friendship with [Free The Bears CEO] Matt Hunt for over 15 years and on numerous occasions we have talked about the possibility of me having a role to assist him and the organisation.

“With the expansion of operations in Laos, I took up the role of ‘technical advisor’ for a 12-month period and discussed with the NHU filming my time at the Sanctuary and the journey that it involved –for both myself and the bears.”

It’s an ambitious undertaking, but it’s easy to see why Giles felt the work was necessary.

He says: “All the bears at the sanctuary are rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, all of which would have been born in the wild, and many of them would have been present when their mothers were killed. The cubs are then traded and kept as exotic pets, nearly always in very poor conditions.

“We have rescued numerous bears from these circumstances who are kept in cages that are just a few square metres, devoid of any stimulation and a good diet.”

But not all the animals were destined to be sold as pets. He adds: “Other bears have been rescued from the bear bile trade, where the animals are kept in barbaric conditions and the bile (used in traditional Chinese medicines) from their gall bladder is regularly harvested.”

In this episode, Giles and the team come to the rescue of David and Jane, a pair of five-month-old moon cubs who were seized after being found for sale illegally online and are in need of specialist around-the-clock care.

As Giles points out, looking after orphaned cubs is a tough job: “Like all small mammals that would be completely reliant on their mother at such a young age, the first challenge is making sure they not only get enough food (milk) but also the right type. You must provide an environment that feels safe and secure, both physically and psychologically. As they gain strength and confidence the challenge is then providing them with stimulation and opportunities to allow the development and honing of their skills to become a bear.”

David and Jane seem to be making good progress, but then Giles receives shocking news about a break-in. Meanwhile, Mary, the sun bear we met last week, is growing in confidence and learning to forage for food, climb trees and jump. So, she’s ready to graduate from the nursery and move into a permanent home, where she meets another sun bear. And as his year in his new role draws to a close, Giles becomes even more determined to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.

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