On September 24, legendary musician Rick Wakeman sat down at a grand piano at Animals Asia's Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre in Tam Dao National Park with an audience of more than 150 rescued bears. These beautiful bears once lived very different lives. They were rescued from the bear bile industry and now live in a beautiful 27 acre sanctuary, where they can climb, forage, explore and simply be bears again. The event was part of Animals Asia's Free the Final Bears campaign, bringing attention to the bears who remain in captivity in Vietnam's remaining bile farms. This movement was started in 1998 by Jill Robinson and today, bear bile extraction is now illegal in Vietnam, and the country has made enormous progress. In 2005, more than 4,200 bears were recorded in captivity. Today, Animals Asia estimates that around 150 remain and they need to come home to the sanctuaries that are ready to receive them. Rick Wakeman has supported Animals Asia for years and even serves as guardian to a rescued moon bear named Moon. For this special concert, he brought his music into the bears' world to help bring the world's attention back to them. Sometimes awareness can begin with something as simple and wonderfully unusual as a man, a piano and a forest full of bears. Let's play it loud for the animals. 🎹🐻❤️

This will be another weekend spent working on projects away from home. The goal is to eventually translate all of that love and work into something more for the animals. I just wanted to pop in here and say happy day to everyone and their special companions, and let you know how grateful I am that we are all here for the animals. I can't explain in words how much that adds beats to my heart. ❤️ I'm also working on a few other creations that include our beautiful gorilla that @Kate Bullock created with love for us. This gorgeous guy is going places! 🦍❤️ Stay tuned, and have a beautiful weekend. Spend time with the ones you love, and make sure that also includes you. ❤️ LM

We finally have another update on Snow, and it is good news! Snow continues to heal and is in good spirits. She is eating, resting, stretching and flapping her wings normally, and enjoying her time outside. She is getting closer to moving into a larger enclosure and gradually working her way back to the big flight enclosure. Her team plans to take more X-rays to check how her wrist fracture is healing. Once she gets the all-clear, Snow can get back to flight conditioning with the other eagles and continue preparing for release. After everything this girl has been through, Snow is on her way! 🦅❤️ Keep healing, Snow. The wild is waiting for you.

Animals are artists in their own right. You can sit and watch them for hours as they build, decorate and design their masterpieces. If you could hire one of nature's designers to decorate your pad, who would you pick? 😁

This special boy is off and exploring. Seconds to leave his travel crate, with a stroll right over to a dirt bath. He continued with making mud for a new color change, snacks and he didn’t stop there. Here is a video of his first exploration of his yards. He went straight out to yard one and made himself at home in nature. Then yard two with options for yard three. He had acres and acres to roam and be himself. Sandro tells GSE what he is ready for, not the other way around. It is such a beautiful new life for this amazing elephant. This is just one of the live videos, and you can get lost watching his first days at sanctuary. Sandros first steps into his new life A follow up of day Welcome home, big boy! Enjoy your new beginning. Our hearts are filled with so much love for you. 🐘🤍 And thank you GSE for all you have done, do, and will continue doing for the elephants. ❤️ .