The day that Quantock arrived at our sanctuary in China almost 13 years ago is indelibly imprinted on the hearts of all who saw him. Gasps of shock rippled around the team as the truck drove in and we could see the face of one bear staring desperately out from his cage, with fur, skin and half of his nose missing. Such had been the misery of his imprisonment and pain on the bile farm, he had rubbed his head obsessively against the cage bars, until his face was raw.

We nicknamed him "Nose".

Nose very quickly showed his obsession for food – and, equally quickly, we learnt to feed him first – as he violently shook the bars of his cage in frantic anticipation; his anxiety and stress eased only when his food bowl was full. Nothing was left – not a single grain of rice or even an orange skin – as he ate for China, and then asked for more.

As he began to realise that not every meal was his last, and while being assessed and prioritised for veterinary procedures, Nose turned his interest to toys. Large rubber Kongs were snatched with glee – especially when they were stuffed with peanuts and jam – and once sucked dry it was time to throw them around his cage, in his very first days of play.Nose was soon adopted by Lee Gibbins and the Moon Bear Rescue Group in Somerset, UK, and given his permanent name, Quantock, after the glorious surrounding hills where Lee and her husband Eric lived.

Quantock underwent major abdominal surgery – not only to remove his damaged gall bladder, but also as the recipient of a remarkable procedure to have his large hernia repaired, courtesy of soft skin specialist, Professor Dick White, who generously flew over especially from the UK.Sailing through all procedures – and always eagerly slurping his medicated fruity shakes – Quantock now lives in House 6 along with his very best friends, Dick and Western Super Bear.Throughout all these years, he has never quite forgotten his obsession with food, and so we were thrilled when Lee very kindly sent over some extra funds to buy him some treats and Quantock was thoroughly spoiled with lots of dried mango lovingly laid out in his enclosure by our staff Yang Li and Ryan.

With Saladin taking the most stunning pictures, Quantock's happiness is beautifully portrayed as he goes about his favourite pastime – feasting on the basic pleasure of life.

Thank you Lee and Eric and all in the Somerset support group for your loving dedication to Quantock and all of our bears.