BATHURST woman Lauren Hush has returned home after the experience of a lifetime, volunteering at a bear sanctuary in Cambodia.
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Ms Hush, along with her friend Hannah Hargreaves, used their break from study at the University of Western Sydney to spend two weeks working at Free the Bears.
The pair thought the trip would be a great way to experience the creatures up close while assisting in their conservation.
“I’ve always just loved animals and [working with them] is really what I want to do in life,” Ms Hush said.
The sanctuary holds approximately 130 sun and Asiatic black bears which have been rescued from a variety of circumstances.
Some bears were rescued from the restaurants where they were intended to be the key ingredient in the delicacy bear paw soup, while others were saved from pet and tourist trades.
Ms Hush found many of the bears were also missing paws from being caught in snares and, as a result, they were trying to adapt to life as bear without a paw or, in some cases, an entire limb.
She had read of similar situations online, but seeing it first-hand was very confronting.
“It was really horrific to see,” she said.
“It all sort of became a lot more real.”
Despite the tragic circumstances that result in the animals being housed at Free the Bears, Ms Hush found her time there really enjoyable.
She helped out with the daily tasks, including cleaning inside dens and outdoor enclosures, preparing meals and creating toys and games to combat boredom.
Aside from her hands-on involvement at Free the Bears, Ms Hush also spent time with the local children, who were enthralled with all the things she and Ms Hargreaves had to show them.
The entire Cambodian experience was very rewarding and Ms Hush urges anyone who is interested in doing something to help protect animals to follow through with something similar, but to do it through the right channels.
“It is really important that they research where they’re going,” she said.
“By making sure everything is above board, you’re protecting animals from being taken from the wild and doing your part to ensure you’re only supporting organisations who have the animals’ best interests at heart.”
