TODAY’S TV
How animal lovers are creating safe homes for cubs rescued from poachers
MARY the sun bear was destined for a terrible life, kept captive after poachers killed her mum in the wild. Luckily for Mary, she was rescued after being spotted on the back of a truck for sale into the illegal wildlife trade. This documentary follows the plight of some of the bears that are rescued as experts fight to save them.
Many bears are valued for their bile, which is used in Asian
IN more animal news, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home is back in business – and Paul O’Grady’s camera crew is on hand to capture its return.
He says: “It is going to take more than a worldwide pandemic to keep me and the staff away. I think we could all do with a bit of doggy therapy at the moment.” medicine, resulting in illegal bear bile farms.
Matt Hunt, CEO of Free The Bears brought Mary home to give the fragile and malnourished five-month-old cub round-the-clock care. He has help from conservationist Giles Clark, who is already on a huge mission, to take on the illegal wildlife trade and also help build a bear
In this series, Paul catches up with the most memorable dogs and finds out how things changed due to recent events.
“There’s no one here except us and the dogs,” says Paul, speaking just as lockdown was about to start, before he had to self-isolate due to his own health conditions. Battersea had to close and find people who would dog-sit 150 canines. “Don’t be surprised if I come home with a dog,” he tells husband Andre.