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The mission of the today's Perth Zoo is "To advance the conservation of wildlife and to change community attitudes towards the preservation of life on Earth."

Leanne told us about the redevelopment of the zoo over recent decades to provide habitat areas for the animals that are as close as possible to their natural environment.

The Perth Zoo is also deeply involved in breeding programmes for endangered species and the recently born white rhino baby is part of that involvement. Giraffes, Asian elephants, Sumatran tigers and other, generally smaller, species are also part of the breeding programme.

The Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) is targeted by the restaurant trade in parts of Asia as a delicacy with reputed medicinal benefit. The toll on species numbers from this illegal culinary trade and from the destruction of its rainforest habitat is considered to be very high. Perth Zoo is part of the regional breeding program for this rare bear and is planning some major changes to accommodate a new male and female of the species.

Western Australians are being asked to help bring two rescued bears from Cambodia to Perth to start a new life as part of an Australasian breeding program.

Perth Zoo is working with Free the Bears Fund, who rescued the bears, to provide the rare male and female Sun Bear with a new home at Perth Zoo. The rescued bears cannot be released back into the wild.

Donations to Perth Zoo's Project Sun Bear will go towards the construction of a purpose-built Sun Bear exhibit at Perth Zoo, transportation of the bears to Perth, the development of a breeding program at the Zoo for this threatened species and helping contribute to in-situ conservation of Sun Bears in Cambodia.

Free The Bears Fund is currently providing specialist care for the rescued bears in their Cambodian sanctuary until the exhibit at Perth Zoo is completed.

Mrs Mary Hutton, Founder of the Free the Bears Fund has achieved the miracle of converting former bear poachers to active workers in the fight to save the bears. To discover more about the work of this remarkable woman, visit the the Free The Bears Fund web site at www.freethebears.org.au.

To find out how you can donate to Project Sun Bear, how to become a Friend of Perth Zoo or anything else about Perth's world class zoo, visit the zoo's web site at www.perthzoo.wa.gov.au.