How the lives of rescued bears are enriched over a lifetime of care
Expressing natural behaviours is as vital to bears in sanctuary as a nutritious diet, a safe sanctuary and a good vet – enrichment matters.
For bears rescued from the bear bile industry, released in to the wild is almost never an option.
Most bile farm survivors have spent decades in tiny cells. They have no survival skills, many have been physically mutilated and all are psychologically scarred.
With bears capable of living around 30 years, each bear rescued is a lifelong commitment to give that individual the care they deserve for the rest of their life.
Safety, healthcare and diet are important, but these new lives must also be lives worth living.
To keep the bears mentally stimulated and enjoying each and every day, sanctuary staff prepare a constantly rotating programme of enrichment from unusual tastes, to new toys and even new friends.
Food will often be hidden within puzzle-feeders – natural materials such as bamboo or wood with food hidden within hard to reach holes. variety of fresh leaves, known as browse, is provided which bears love to eat, roll in and use to make nests.
The bears’ large outdoor enclosures are packed with fun structures such as swings, swimming pools and platforms – and the team are constantly dreaming up new items which the bears can explore, play with and ultimately have great fun destroying.
Novel sensations are introduced in the form of natural fibre textiles, hessian sacks or even cardboard boxes – anything which is cheap, natural and safe can be turned into a toy.
And of course, in sanctuary the bears have each other. On farms, they are kept isolated in separate cells. They can never play with each other, wrestle or sleep together. But once rescued, Animals Asia has found that relationships with other bears can be a huge part of rehabilitation and enormously helpful for overcoming past traumas.
If you would like to help rescued bears recover from extreme cruelty and give them back the lives they deserve, join Oliver’s Army today and give monthly.
SUCCESS: Carrefour says dog meat is off their shelves – but we need YOU to hold them to it
15 June 2017
French supermarket chain Carrefour has removed dog meat products from two stores in China, but has failed to assure customers it won’t return.
On Tuesday, Animals Asia launched a petition beseeching French supermarket giant Carrefour to stop selling dog meat products in their China stores.
We first found dog meat in Carrefour stores back in 2012, and were promised they would be removed for good. But on a routine inspection in 2016 we discovered they were openly on display.
Our emails to the company’s headquarters in France went unanswered and a follow up check in May 2017 found nothing had changed – the company was still profiting from the dog meat industry.
After learning that Carrefour had not kept its word, tens of thousands of animal lovers around the world signed a petition and international media began asking questions. Within less than 24 hours, Carrefour responded by telling journalists the products were gone. But how do we know they won’t come back?
As of now Carrefour has still not made a commitment to end dog meat sales forever – they still haven’t assured their customers that they will never again profit from the cruel dog meat industry.
Animals Asia’s Cat and Dog Welfare Director Irene Feng said:
“This is a huge win for the little people all over the world. Individually we were ignored by a multinational, billion-dollar brand, but together our effect was almost instant.
“And while it’s fantastic news that Carrefour has taken dog meat products off the shelves in these two stores, the company has 200 stores in China – we can’t check them all.
“Carrefour does not have a good track record when it comes to keeping its promises on dog meat. Their customers deserve a guarantee from Carrefour that it will adopt a 'no dog meat policy', and a commitment that it will never again support the cruel and corrupt dog meat industry.
“Since the latest findings of dog meat in their stores, we are yet to receive any correspondence from Carrefour. We were able to independently verify their claim that the dog meat products had been removed from the two stores in Xuzhou city, but we can’t be everywhere all the time.
“We’ll keep pushing for a guarantee from Carrefour that they have finally ended their relationship with the cruel and often illegal dog meat industry and it is very likely that to get this assurance, we will once again need the support of the global community.”
An estimated 10 million dogs are slaughtered annually in China for the meat industry. Yet despite these huge numbers, a long-running Animals Asia investigation could find no evidence of any large scale breeding facilities anywhere in the country.
The findings give weight to the widely held belief that most dogs which end up on the dinner plate are in fact stolen companion animals and strays snatched from the streets. Animals Asia’s reports detailed evidence of illegality at every stage of the dog meat supply chain with many dogs poisoned and with no proof of origin or vaccination histories as required by law.
Working year round work to the end the dog meat industry
Animals Asia works every day of the year to end the dog meat industry in China through Ya Dong, a consulting agency wholly owned and advised by Animals Asia.
● Animals Asia - through Ya Dong - funds and supports local grassroots groups fighting the dog and cat meat trade on the ground in China
Life has changed beyond belief for over a hundred bears on a bile farm in Nanning China but now these bears finally look set for their “forever home” in Chengdu.
When Animals Asia took over the farm in April 2014 the aim was to turn the site into a small sanctuary, moving the sickest bears back to Chengdu. The first task was to assess the bears’ condition and systematically start addressing their needs including freeing them from pain.
Since then over 80 bears have been health checked or undergone surgery. At the same time the Animals Asia team developed a wide-ranging “enrichment” plan to help the bears cope with their confined environment. This includes toys, pools to cool down in and vast amounts of fruit popsicles. They enjoy nutritious meals twice a day which has meant an incredible improvement to their body condition.
Meanwhile yard by yard, cage by cage, all areas have been cleaned with pressure washers, and cubs like Smudge - the last cub born on the farm - have begun to be integrated with other bears to provide companionship.
But while this was happening, wider planning hit repeated obstacles. With bear bile farming continuing to be such a sensitive issue in China - permits to move 30 of the bears to Animals Asia’s Chengdu sanctuary faced delay after delay as negotiations stalled.
Without these bears being transferred there was not enough room to develop the rest of the site for sanctuary use.
Meanwhile late last year it was made known to Animals Asia that the entire site had been sold to developers. The negotiations further complicating the process of securing a future for these incredible bears.
It was decided by Animals Asia that it would change tactics and rather than aiming to change a farm into a sanctuary they would instead bring these bears “home” to its Chengdu sanctuary.
Now, with all parties poised - it’s expected that commercial building work will start this summer on the Nanning site and the bears will finally start their evacuation. To reach this point has taken many hundreds of hours of negotiations as well as huge expense for the NGO.
With 123 bears set to be moved it will require a series of trips of over 1,200 kilometres - another massive undertaking.
Animals Asia founder and CEO Jill Robinson said:
“We’ve learned not to expect anything so the word now is ‘hope’ - with everything we know and with all the time we have put in, we now dare to hope that the bears are finally about to come home.
“If Animals Asia stands for one thing then it’s commitment to animals and while frustration grew, what kept us going was precisely that - commitment to these bears. We could never turn our backs on them. Not when we first had the chance to take care of them - not since - and certainly not now. We’ll get them home.
“What has happened in the meantime is remarkable. When we first walked into what was then a bear farm all we could hear was moaning. It was dark, it stank and the bears were dying a slow death - as bears on farms do.
“They didn’t even have enough water to drink. We had to install a new water tank and pumps just to cure their thirst and it made the world of difference. Thanks to all the work done and thanks to incredible support from across the world, we are managing the bears needs both physical and psychological. They are bears enjoying a proper diet who now gleefully play with their toys.
“While of course this has been the time of their lives - because they’ve never known better - we’ve always wanted to give them more. We want to take them home. We want to get them out in the sunshine and free them from their dark lives on the farm.”
Animals Asia is tentatively waiting on the go-ahead to move the bears. Knowing as ever that negotiations can stretch but also knowing that with the developers being keen to move there is now a financial incentive to hand over the bears.
Jill added:
“The pressures of Nanning - in terms of time, people and much-needed funding could have broken us. But we’re stronger and we’ve never felt more committed and compelled, not just to get these bears home but to also end bear bile farming. We know that millions - inside and outside of China are with us.”
Vertalen? Hoeft niet de foto's spreken voor zich. Met dank aan www.animalsasia.org
Rescued from a bile farm in a very sick state - vets feared the worst and a Chinese superstar made a dash to be at her bedside - now fit and healthy Xuan Xuan is a very happy bear.
After months of cold - spring has sprung at our bear sanctuary in Chengdu China, which is home to 118 bears rescued from the bear bile industry.
Birds are singing, flowers are blooming and moon bears - well the moon bears are just loving it.
Not least Xuan Xuan. These pictures were taken by vet Sheridan Lathe who spotted our furry friend soaking up the springtime air.
Xuan Xuan was rescued by Animals Asia in January 2013. That first day vets were able to give her an initial health check after which she was transferred from her farm cage and settled into a recovery cage for the evening while she slept off her anaesthetic.
Animals Asia founder Jill Robinson ran through Xuan Xuan’s (then called Sun Li) list of ailments:
Sun Li was named in the honour of her Chinese superstar namesake who made sure she was at the bear's bedside when vets started to treat her many ailments.
We reported at the time:
“Publicity surrounding the plight of the bear even meant that Sun Li, the actress, was soon en-route to the sanctuary – arriving in time to see the bear enter recovery following a five-hour operation to remove her gall bladder. Her visit caused such a stir in China that Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, saw the sanctuary’s news of her arrival shared over 13,000 times reaching a potential audience of many millions.”
Inside three months Xuan Xuan’s recovery was advanced enough to move her into a den - the largest space she would have encountered for many years. She was the last of the six “New Year Rescue” bears to enter her new home.
But it was her first steps outside (see below) that really caused her stir and saw a beautiful bear emerge out into the sunlight - a bear that had been in so much pain when she arrived.
GOED NIEUWS: ANIMALS ASIA BEVRIJDT NOG EENS 7 BEREN UIT DE BERENGALINDUSTRIE IN VIETNAM!
Vorige week werden er weer 7 galberen bevrijd uit 2 boerderijen in Vietnam door een team van Animals Asia. Jarenlang hadden ze gevangen gezeten in krappe kooien, waar ze dagelijks gekweld werden door het aftappen van hun gal, dat nog steeds gebruikt wordt voor een traditioneel medicijn.
Deze bevrijding betekent een geweldige doorbraak voor het team en voor de plaatselijke autoriteiten, die sterk zijn blijven aandringen op het bevrijden van deze dieren.
Ook deze beren zullen worden opgenomen in het Berenreddingscentrum van Animals Asia Vietnam, bij hun soortgenoten, die al eerder werden bevrijd.
De redding was een onderdeel van de grote actie 'Halong2Home', en sluit aan op de bevrijding, nog maar enkele weken geleden, van een beer die het reddingsteam kort daarvoor nog niet had mogen meenemen.
Tuan Bendixsen, directeur van Animals Asia Vietnam, verklaarde dat deze recente redding, inhoudt dat de berengalindustrie, althans in deze provincie, bijna verdwenen is. Hij stelt dan ook:
De reddingsactie in juni bij de eerste boerderij die wij bezochten greep het reddingsteam erg aan. Er waren acht kooien waarin even zoveel beren zaten. Sommige van hen waren er ellendig aan toe: ondervoed, broodmager, met kapotte klauwen en gebroken poten, en uitgedroogd door het verblijf in veel te krappe kooien waarin ze zich nauwelijks konden bewegen. Het was volkomen duidelijk dat de boer juist de twee beren met de slechtste gezondheidstoestand afstond. Het deed pijn om de zes overige beren achter te moeten laten, omdat hij ze niet allemaal wilde laten gaan. Maar het team was vastberaden om nu alsnog ook deze laatste beren mee te nemen. Die dag was het de laatste dag dat ook deze zes beren de wereld alleen maar tussen ijzeren tralies door konden zien. Die dag begon er voor al deze dieren een nieuw leven.
De zevende beer zal bevrijd worden uit een speciale boerderij in de provincie. Er is op dit moment weinig bekend over deze boerderij, behalve dan dat de eigenaar zich tot voor kort verzet heeft tegen het vertrek van die beer.
In maart van dit jaar kwam er een verordening van de Vietnamese regering, dat iedere gevangen beer in de provincie Quang Ninh overgedragen moet worden aan de organisatie Animals Asia, om deze naar hun Berenreddingscentrum te kunnen vervoeren. Deze transporten moeten 30 september afgerond zijn, zodat de provincie dan vrij zal zijn van galberenboerderijen.
Na deze laatste reddingsactie verblijven er in deze provincie nog 9 galberen op boerderijen. Animals Asia vertrouwt erop dat ook deze dieren spoedig door hen bevrijd kunnen worden. Tuan zei nog het volgende:
In juni weigerde een van deze boeren zelfs nog om te praten over het vrijlaten van een beer, maar dankzij de overtuigingskracht van de autoriteiten van Quang Ninh gaf hij een aantal dagen geleden toe, en kregen we bericht dat we tot actie konden overgaan. Hij zou al eerder gezegd hebben dat hij tot het eind wilde vechten voor het behoud van deze beer. Het is daarom opmerkelijk dat het gelukt is om ook deze boer over te halen.
Jill Robinson, oprichter en uitvoerend directeur van Animals Asia sprak:
Opnieuw kunnen prachtige beren de jaren van wrede behandeling achter zich laten en zich verheugen op een nieuw, echt berenleven, waarin ze zelf hun voedsel kunnen zoeken, zelf kunnen beslissen wanneer ze in het gras hun slaapje willen doen, wanneer ze willen gaan rennen en spelen. En voor dat alles hebben ze meer dan genoeg ruimte!
Animals Asia's stelregel is altijd geweest: We gaan door tot het afgelopen is met de wreedheden. We blijven met volle energie doorgaan met dat vaste voornemen in onze gedachten en heel mooi dat er vandaag weer een nieuw succes is behaald! We kunnen onze plannen echter alleen verwezenlijken met de hulp van onze aanhangers. Daarom zijn we deze mensen allemaal intens dankbaar voor alle donaties om reddingen zoals deze mogelijk te maken!
Deze laatste redding volgt direct op de aankondiging die gisteren is gedaan door Animals Asia en de Vietnamese T.M.A. Beiden hebben plechtig beloofd alles in het werk te stellen om te bereiken dat alle Vietnamese galberenboerderijen in 2020 verleden tijd zullen zijn.
On the sixth day of the new lunar year, the Nem Thuong Festival takes place in the village of the same name in Vietnam's Bac Ninh province. The festival sees a stressed pig tied up and paraded around the village, to an accompaniment of horns and drums, before having its throat cut and head hacked off.
Traditionally, following the decapitation, onlookers dip bank notes into the blood in the hope of procuring good fortune for the New Year.
Our campaign to end the cruelty has won huge support. Polls showed 79% of the Vietnamese public were against it and key figures within the Vietnamese government also condemned the practice. Everything pointed to the cruelty being stopped.
However, authorities in Bac Ninh have pledged to continue the ritual. Their only concession in light of the opposition? To carry out the pig execution out of public view and to stop the dipping of bank notes in blood.
We are making progress but this is not enough. The pig will still be subjected to a terrifying experience. This will not break the link between celebration and animal cruelty. We must keep up the pressure.
Animals Asia is calling on the Vietnamese authorities to end the pig slaughter part of the festival. This animal cruelty is incompatible with a vibrant, modern and economically successful country like Vietnam
Beste lezers, helaas geen tijd vandaag om dit te vertalen. Aangezien de artikelen in 10 landen worden gelezen weet ik zeker dat u het wel kan volgen. Alvast bedankt voor de belangstelling
Dit is de hel waaruit ze zijn gered.....
Happy #MoonBearMonday everyone! Nieuwsbericht van : www.animalsasia.org We caught this adorable bonding session of two moon bear besties as they hug, wrestle and roll on the grass. The intimate moment was taken as Bodo and Monkey relaxed together at Animals Asia's Chengdu Bear Rescue Centre. Life at the sanctuary allows bears rescued from the bile industry to reactivate their natural instincts after years and sometimes decades of abuse. Vietnam and China's bear bile industries see bears held in tiny cages so that needles can be inserted into their gall bladders to extract bile. The painful and invasive process will see many bears die of tumors, but some have been unfortunate enough to survive 30 years of this living hell.
Once rescued, the rehabilitation process is long and requires constant care from a dedicated team of vets and bear managers. But when we catch moments of intimate bliss like this – of friendship, instinct and joy – we're reminded why it's all worth it, and why we can never give up while a single bear remains a victim of the industry. Play on, beautiful moon bears – there are enough bear hugs to go around. Hope you all have a fantastic day and give someone you love the #BearHug they deserve this #MoonBearMonday.
Nieuwsbrief van een favoriete organisatie van mij: www.animalsasia.org Sorry even niet vertaald
While Animals Asia’s dedicated teams in China and Vietnam work hard to ensure our sanctuaries run perfectly – there’s another furrier set of colleagues who also like to take charge.
Van de hel in de hemel: 6 beren zijn in de hemel beland nadat ze uit de berengalindustrie zijn gered. ( zie foto )
The Vietnam team…
Parly, “the Ambassador”
Whenever new friendships are to be brokered, it’s important to have diplomatic individuals on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly. Super-friendly Parly is just such a character. Known as “the ambassador” by the bear managers, his playful, non-aggressive nature and love of making new friends means Parly is the perfect candidate to make integrations run smoothly.
Maggie, “the Climbing Instructor”
Maggie is one of those individuals with a passion that she just can’t help but share. Renowned for her climbing skills that see her spend most of her time at the sanctuary’s highest points, Maggie’s adventures have prompted many bears to try to follow her. And although she doesn’t mind the company, there aren’t many bears that can walk skilfully across a rope strung between two standing logs.
Mara, “the Peacemaker”
This diplomatic bear does not like arguments. If she detects any conflict, she’ll rush to the "battle site" to break it up. When it comes to “troublemakers” or over-zealous wrestlers like Little Jane and Grillo, Mara’s watchful eye is ever vigilant.
The China bear team…
Bodo, “the Food Taster”
Bodo is a big boy who isn’t built for exercise. Having only three legs doesn’t help him keep his weight down, but a bigger issue is the seriousness with which he takes his job. Bodo considers himself to be the sanctuary food taster – and he is a very zealous worker. As soon as the slides open, Bodo is out like a shot foraging for every last piece of delicious fruit – desperate to perform his duty and give it all a “taste”. Luckily, Bodo’s charming nature means the other bears don’t mind his vigorous tasting process. Bodo is firm friends with Harley and his fun loving nature means most bears enjoy splashing in the pool with this big friendly bear.
Kevin, “the Events Manager"
Events Manager, Party Starter – call him what you will, Kevin always finds a way to have fun, and makes sure that everyone else does too. This three-legged lad is constantly smiling, wrestling, playing with toys or even playing dress up!
Minnie, “the Mattress Tester”
When Minnie is testing the suitability of a spot for a nap, the results are almost invariably positive. By far the most dormant bear at our China sanctuary, Minnie is something of a slave to the snooze. Every winter she will lose her appetite and bed down for months on end. The bear managers have to be alert to Minnie getting too comfortable around this time of year, because if they’re not careful, she’ll crash out in the enclosure . When that happens, nobody can go in to set up the enclosure with yummy food and toys until Minnie is through napping. But generally, Minnie likes to make herself a cozy bed for winter. She’ll fill her hanging basket with cosy leaves and branches to make the perfect “mattress” then the only sound you’ll hear from her is the gentle snores of a satisfied sleeper.
