A Suffolk business owner has launched an urgent mission to rehome a family of moon bears from South Korea.
Jimmy Doherty, of Jimmy's Farm, said the animals are in one of the country's last remaining bear bile farms and seeks to bring them to the Ipswich-based wildlife park.
The bears, known as moon bears or Asiatic black bears, have spent their lives in cages on a farm where bile was extracted for use in traditional medicine.
The bear bile industry has now been banned in South Korea, but around 200 bears remain in captivity and many face the risk of euthanasia due to a lack of available sanctuary space.
The campaign hopes to raise funds for their rescue, provide them with specialist veterinary care, and cover the cost of transporting them 5,500 miles to the UK.
The conservationist's appeal coincides with World Bear Day and is part of the "Bears Behind Bars" campaign led by the charity Space for the Wild.
Mr Doherty, patron of Space for the Wild, said: "It’s heartbreaking to see their dreadful existence.
"If I was one of those bears, I would want someone to give me a shot at happiness."
A safe, natural reserve is already being developed for them at Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park.
The appeal follows the charity’s successful rescue of Diego, a brown bear brought to his forever home in the UK, demonstrating what is possible when urgent action is taken.
Michaela Doherty, chair of Space for the Wild, said: "From cages to countryside… this is the bears only chance, after a lifetime behind bars, they deserve to feel grass under their feet and simply be bears for the first time in their lives."
Supporters are being encouraged to donate to the campaign and share it widely to help fund the bears’ rescue and long-term care.
Space for the Wild is a charitable organisation dedicated to protecting endangered and vulnerable animals, both in East Anglia and in the wild places they call home, by restoring their natural environments.
Its broader mission is to ensure that wildlife is given the space it needs to survive and thrive.
Mr Doherty is well known for his passion for nature, farming, and conservation, and has a long history of working with wildlife.
At 16, he became the youngest ever assistant entomologist at the Mole Hall Wildlife Park in Walden.
He later earned a degree in zoology, worked at the Natural History Museum in London, and conducted research at Coventry University.
He taught animal ecology and animal philosophy to undergraduate students as part of his academic career.
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