In the early 2000s, Australian Sally Rodd heard about a young charity called Animals Asia which was telling the world about the cruelty of the bear bile industry.

For a life-long bear lover like Sally, the plight of the moon bears was heart-rending and she began to make first an annual donation, then gave monthly.

But Sally felt compelled to do more, and she did. Today she is one of the greatest friends the bears have ever known, having raised $100,000 using just her compassion and commitment.

We caught up with Sally to celebrate her landmark achievement and to find out how ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

Q: Hi Sally, your fundraising for the bears has been nothing short of magical, how did you do it?

Sally: It gestated over several years – which is important because it has helped build the longevity of the campaign. I was searching for a way to meaningfully and creatively engage people with my own passion to help the moon bears. I was very clear my approach had to be relatively easy, educational and FUN. It also had to have enough universal appeal to reach beyond my own network of friends. 

I read that people who raised a certain amount could name a bear at one of Animals Asia’s sanctuaries so I now had a focus for my “fuNraising”. At this point a couple of magical things happened: A friend doodled my logo into being.  And no sooner had I begun to think about a website than voila! – a friend offered to create one for me. Suddenly Adopt a Moon Bear was born and I began to animate – literally - my fundraising vision and share the ground-breaking work of Animals Asia. 

The big remaining question was howto utilise this online presence in a manner that would capture people’s imagination and engage their financial support. The inspiration for Jigsaw finally came to me one night: create a greyed-out jigsaw puzzle on the website featuring a real moon bear, where every $100 donated turns over a piece of the puzzle. As with a real jigsaw puzzle, supporters would be able to watch our furry friend emerge in full colour during the year.  In the first year we used a photo of the very engaging Jasper as our “pin-up” bear.

In December 2009 the website was ready and, with paws crossed, I launched Adoptamoonbear, sending out my first newsletter to friends and family, sharing the work of Animals Asia and my vision for rescuing Jigsaw.

I was a novice, but kept at it, learning more with every newsletter sent. They must have hit the spot because in a little over 12 months, Adoptamoonbear raised the funds required to rescue and name our bear Jigsaw. I could hardly believe it – it was such a thrill to have achieved this goal!  

In December 2010 we received news that a lovely young bear, aged about five, had been among nine bears rescued earlier in the year in southern Vietnam. Suddenly we had our very own bear, Jigsaw! And Jigsaw now had his very own “family”, and since then has featured in the annual puzzle.

With many supporters as excited as I was at our “fuNraising” achievement, I sensed real momentum and decided to commit to looking after Jigsaw for the term of his natural life. I must admit this vision stretched ominously in front of me, given that Jigsaw was only five and could live to be 25, even 30… so I created his Bear Care Club giving supporters a bimonthly newsletter to keep them informed about the progress of Jigsaw’s annual puzzle. Our goal is now to raise the thousands of dollars required each year to house, feed and care for him at the Vietnam sanctuary.  

Originally I wrote all the content in the newsletters but Jigsaw gradually “inserted” himself; now he “writes” them himself! Readers respond well to hearing from Jigsaw directly; it allows him to share information from a rescued bear’s perspective and helps to further develop his personality (and keep them interested). His cheeky tone and sense of humour are, I believe, keys to his appeal and Adoptamoonbear’s success.

Jigsaw is very proud to describe himself as a zero-cost bear now that Animals Asia doesn’t have to pay for his upkeep because his “family” does that for him.  He sees himself as a bear helping other bears to be rescued.

And who are the people donating towards Jigsaw’s care?

Supporters can ebb and flow if only given one way to donate, so other ventures that expand the world of Jigsaw beyond my own newsletter network include: the website, students studying endangered species who start school fundraisers, holding Trash’n’Treasure stalls with friends, selling my own handcrafted items, and fundraisers by people inspired by Adoptamoonbear.

For me it is incredibly exciting that Jigsaw and Adoptamoonbear have inspired others to fundraise for him. For example, friends who live on Sweers Island, one of the more remote islands off Australia’s northern coast, have successfully raised several thousand dollars for Jigsaw over the years!  It doesn’t matter where you are on the map, it’s where your heart lives that matters.

I believe you’ve been out to visit Jigsaw and the other bears at our Vietnam sanctuary. Can you remember meeting Jigsaw for the first time?

Yes, I have twice taken small groups of dedicated supporters to visit him and each time have been very moved by the experience.  It is heart-warming and joyful to see such happy, contented bears, pootling around, foraging for food, playing together or lolling in pools – especially when recalling the harsh and hopeless worlds they endured before their rescues.  And it is wonderful to see how well they are cared for by the Animals Asia staff.

Jigsaw and I first met in 2011 to celebrate our first year of “fuNraising”. Jigsaw was one of those pootling bears, so sweet and mild, playing with his good friend Chocolate. Jigsaw is more of a companion bear than a leader and he’s very fond of food. As rescue bear #39 it’s hard to reconcile him as one of the longest resident bears at the sanctuary. I don’t quite see him as an elder states-bear! In my mind he’s too cheeky for that.

Our second visit in 2015 was just as wonderful and awe-filled as the first.  By then there were many more bears rescued, many more enclosures (including the cub enclosure) built – all exciting developments. This visit coincided with a rescue and we witnessed first-hand the mental trauma and physical disfiguring that a recently rescued bear exhibits. Very distressing sights… but the good news is that these bears are now happily adjusted and contented, their tortured days hopefully only a distant memory.

You’ve been fundraising for Jigsaw now since 2009, do you have any intention of stopping? Do you ever feel like you’ve done enough?

No and no!

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would raise $100,000, and I guess that is the key.  Perhaps by not “over-dreaming” at the beginning, I didn’t frighten myself off or get overwhelmed. Instead I have focused on an achievable amount – Jigsaw’s annual care costs – and vowed to keep the fundraising journey enjoyable. Jigsaw is a joy in my life. Living inside his head and creating his little adventures as I write the newsletters is such fun.

My commitment is to care for Jigsaw for his natural life – which I hope, for his sake, is another 15 years. That’s a lot of “fuNraising” to go, so it’s important to keep Jigsaw’s writing voice fresh and creative, to explore new ways to engage his supporters, to develop a wider audience, and to keep the plight of moon bears uppermost in people’s social consciousness.

Finally, I will always support the work of Animals Asia because I believe in its vision of creating change through education and negotiation.  Animals Asia cannot be too highly commended for its achievements, especially in China and Vietnam. The agreement signed with the Vietnamese government to end bear bile farming in the country is testament to Animals Asia’s skills of diplomacy and tenacity as it pursues its compassionate commitment to animal welfare issues across the region.  

I believe it is as important to increase awareness as it is to raise money.  It is my hope that this current generation of bears is the last generation forced to endure an excruciatingly cruel life. Educating children is the key to a future where humans realise that all species have an equal right to live a natural life.

To learn more about Jigsaw and Sally’s amazing project and to help them achieve this year’s goal, visit their website.

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