We are delighted to report that, after huge amounts of hard work and thanks to the incredible fighting spirit of our team and YOUR donations, the two bus stop bears are finally rescued and safe in our care.

We will never forget the horrifying conditions that these bears were being kept in. We will be haunted by what we saw forever, but we take comfort in knowing we will dedicate the rest of our lives to making sure these bears never have to suffer this way again.

It is hard to put into words how we are all feeling as we share this video. With our partners at FPWC, we have spent the past year fighting to rescue these bears. Being able to report back that the rescue went smoothly and that both bears are now receiving the love and care they deserve is truly amazing, and we know it is all thanks to you.

The rescue itself was a huge undertaking. Once the larger bear had been anaesthetised, the emergency rescue crew set about cutting through the iron bars of the cage. The cage door had been welded up long ago – a clear indication that, had it not been for our rescue operation, those two bears would have lived in that disgusting cage until the day they died.

Once the larger bear was safely asleep, the team moved to quickly anaesthetise the smaller bear that had been shut into a tiny, dark cave-like area off the main cage. She had been shut in there to make the rescue possible but it seems this poor little bear had spent months locked in this dank hell-hole when she gave birth to a cub. The ceiling was so low that she could barely stand up and it was knee-deep in faeces. The conditions these two bears had been living in for years were the stuff of nightmares.

It seems the male bear had been born in that cage and so has only ever known life behind bars, kept for the idle entertainment of his captor as nothing more than a trophy.

Both bears are now safe at the centre and initial medical checks show they are doing well, all things considered. In the days ahead they will be given constant care and attention as they adjust to their surroundings and start a new life free from the misery and neglect they have suffered for so long.