"The sight of a bear standing on its hind legs is simply awesome. It turns the cute and cuddly image of the teddy bear on its head, and instead evokes fear and wonder."
- from the introduction

Bears are respected and admired, yet also feared. These mighty animals have virtually no enemies except for humans. Over the last 150 years, as civilization has expanded into their natural environments, bears are being displaced. Because of habitat loss, hunting for sport, and the black market trade in body parts for medicinal use, all species except brown and American black bears are endangered or vulnerable.

Bear Rescue profiles the major projects and people around the world who are active in the conservation efforts to help these animals:

• Armando Castellanos is the founder of the Spectacled Bear Project, which works to save the habitat of the endangered spectacled bears of South America
• Yoganand Kandasamy radio-collars sloth bears in India and follows them night and day through the forest to study their behavior
• Jill Robinson of China Bear Rescue rescues and rehabilitates Asiatic black bears from bear bile farms in China
• Ian Stirling is a research scientist studying the effects of global warming and toxins on the polar bear population
• A team from Seattle Woodland Park Zoo is working on successfully breeding in captivity the endangered sun bear.

Illustrated with 50 color photographs, Bear Rescue covers the people, the issues and the challenges involved in preserving a future for endangered wildlife.

About the Firefly Animal Rescue series:

The Firefly Animal Rescue identifies endangered and threatened species and what is being done to protect them. Combining lively, accessible text and stunning color photographs, each book provides a detailed overview of the species, describing its characteristics, behavior, habits, physiology and more.

"These attractive books are a call to action... fascinating readable accounts."
- School Library Journal

"Succinct introductions to the science and practice of wildlife conservation... written in accessible, lively language."
- Booklist