The Winton Foundation for the Welfare of Bears

19/10/2026

We are delighted to let you know we will be holding our Autumn Board meeting later this month.

The trustees will be considering a number of funding applications we have received for exciting bear projects around the world.

We look forward to bringing you updates soon.

10/10/2026

Happy weekend everyone! Today, 10th October is a very special day for the Winton Foundation for the Welfare of Bears - it's our 16th birthday!!

Sixteen years ago on the memorable date of 10.10.10 we launched. Since then we have supported over 40 projects in 19 countries worldwide donating over £50,000 to help bears in need, globally.

We may be small but we are definitely mighty! Happy Birthday to us!

04/10/2026

All set up at the Scottish Bear Fair in Geisland Estate we're here from 11 - 4pm so pop in and see us if you're in the area!

04/10/2026

All set up at the Scottish Bear Fair in Geisland Estate we're here from 11 - 4pm so pop in and see us if you're in the area!

25/09/2026

EXCITING UPDATE!
As promised earlier this week, we are now delighted to bring you a very exciting update on one of our most recent projects. Back in June we brought you news of the first ever research project we are funding. We are delighted to be funding the work of experienced and highly respected Conservation Scientist Muhammad Naeem Awan , Member, IUCN-Species Survival Commission / Asiatic Black Bear Expert Team, Bear Specialist Group. He is working to help the Asiatic Black Bears in the Valley of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Pakistan, a major Asiatic black bear habitat.

Over the years, there has been a decline in the range of Asiatic black bear in Pakistan due to an increase in human population, loss of habitat from logging, access to fi****ms by farmers in areas where bears raid crop fields or depredate livestock, uncontrolled forest fires and illegal trade in bear parts and live cubs. The work involves establishing a conflict management system educating and raising awareness regarding the importance of the species, its habitat and threats which will be vital in ensuring that the conflicts are mitigated.

We were delighted to receive an update with regard to their work Building Ranger Capacity for Asiatic Black Bear Conservation in Pakistan. We are very happy to share these photos from their recent one-day, field-based training for wildlife and forest rangers on Asiatic Black Bear monitoring through sign surveys and systematic data recording.

The training provided practical experience in identifying bear signs, assessing habitat, monitoring human–bear conflicts, and systematically recording field observations. Building the capacity of frontline staff is essential for generating reliable data and strengthening evidence-based bear conservation and protected area management.

We are so proud to be funding this vital work and even more proud to see the Winton Bear Foundation’s logo on their banner! Thank you so much Muhammad Naeem Awan for the update and the wonderful photos - it’s a real pleasure to be supporting you. Keep up the great work!

21/09/2026

We have another really exciting update to bring you shortly about a project we funded earlier this year - so check back a little later this week.

In the meantime, don't forget we have our biggest annual fundraiser coming up on Sunday 4th October - the Scottish Bear Fair in Beith, Scotland. We are once again their chosen charity of the year.

We will have a stand there between 11am - 4pm and have a wonderful selection of newly donated artists bears and figurines which we will be selling to raise much needed funds to help bears in need around the world. Please pay us a visit if you're in the area and learn all about the work of the Winton Bear Foundation.

13/09/2026

We absolutely LOVE getting follow up updates from our beneficiaries whenever we fund a project or contribute to its cost. Eco-Halych is one such project.

Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, we keep in touch with the team there to see how we can best help them and their bears. Periodically we will provide funding so they know they have it, for as and when they are able to use it. We are delighted to receive this recent update and video of a lovely new two story house built with funding from the Winton Bear Foundation for their bears to enjoy, along with tasty treats of nuts and fruit. We hope you enjoy this update has much as we did!

03/09/2026

Wonderful update on our support for Wild Welfare's work with some very special Sun Bears. Enjoy!

How do you get seven Sun Bears to the dentist? 🦷 This is the question we recently faced with our partners in Borneo! 🐻

A team of international veterinary specialists from CENZOO and Wildtierpraxis Maltzan assembled to deliver essential health checks and life-changing surgeries for May May, Teng Teng, Anton, Jirran, Ron, Obot, and Diego at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.

The 3-day operation and follow-up care were made possible thanks to the support of the Sabah Wildlife Department alongside generous funding from our key supporters inc The Winton Foundation for the Welfare of Bears

👉Read the full story of this bear-sized effort at: https://wildwelfare.org/bornean-bear-health-check/

Special thanks to The Big Cat Sanctuary & Hertfordshire Zoo

23/08/2026

In the past we have normally done two distributions of funds in summer and winter but since receipt of a generous legacy we are now doing things slightly differently and have already supported many projects this year!

As well as continuing to support existing beneficiaries we now have a grant application process too. To date, we have supported over 40 projects in more than 19 countries worldwide. When you donate to the Winton Foundation for the Welfare of Bears, you help support many different organisations and bear rescue and welfare projects globally.

To learn more about our Grant Application process and to donate, please visit our website at www.wintonbearfoundation.org The more funds we can raise the more bears we can help. Thank you for your support!

www.wintonbearfoundation.org

13/08/2026

We absolutely love hearing how the bears that we've helped look after in the past (and present) are doing. So you can imagine our delight at receiving this gorgeous video clip of rescued brown bears Fluff and Scruff down at Wildwood in Kent enjoying the glorious weather.

Fluff is the one practicing his yoga moves and Scruff is supervising. We think his technique is pretty spectacular.

Huge thanks to Jon Forde for sending the footage. Enjoy!