All that you have is your soul
Imagine being born into an empty world, a world with nobody to comfort you, nobody to keep you warm, no hands to cradle you and nobody to provide for your instant needs, just an empty cavernous void.
As she lay on the cold, dirty, concrete floor this was all she had, she had been born into a meaningless world. Not one person knew of her existence, her mother was unable to reach her never mind provide for her needs. This was the “fate” of just one small kitten in a live-animal market in Foshan, southern China.
Her mother was crammed inside a crate with dozens of other undernourished, terrified and diseased cats waiting to be dragged out of their pitiful home to be brutally slaughtered and eaten. The cat traders lounging around the crate had not even noticed as she gave birth, her offspring had instantly fallen through the cage bars and now lay on the dirty, cold concrete floor below. Not noticed as she lay their whimpering for her mother, whimpering for the hand of kindness we all need no more so than in the first moments of our existence, whimpering for her life.
The course of this kitten’s life was heading towards death on that very floor that she laid on until we saw her squirming below the cat crate whilst we were visiting and documenting the awful conditions at this market. We picked her up, and hiding her from the traders, smuggled her back to our car. Suddenly in the space of a few seconds we had become responsible for her life. The hand of human kindness had miraculously arrived against all of the odds.
As we sat in the car trying to meet the instant basic needs of this poor lost soul, outside the cats still lay on top of each other in their crates. Dogs were being thrown into filthy pens containing other dogs with obvious signs of life-threatening diseases, lying next to motionless dogs, their worlds already reaching a miserable end. Donkeys, goats, deer and pigs all packed into filthy pens – chickens, ducks, geese and rabbits on top of each other – no room to move, no room to live.
What force led these animals to be here awaiting an end to a miserable, painful life? What led to the kitten squirming and squealing for her life on a barren, desolate, diseased floor? What leads to the numbness of a market trader allowing him to beat a terrified animal whilst we watch holding back the tears for the misery and sorrow of these poor creatures? What leads to a young boy punching a bear in the face to make it perform for an expectant crowd? What leads a human being to remove the teeth of tigers and lions, beat them into submission and remove their very reason to be alive only to parade them around an arena and pretend they are fierce beasts to be “tamed”?
There is no one answer to these questions, no words to explain why, and it is with some sadness that I write these words following a number of days visiting safari parks and an animal market in China. In a country which is rapidly gaining and building its own unique identity after years of oppression, animals are suffering a fate that animals across the world suffer – treated as commodities, factory farmed in their billions, experimented upon in their millions and abused for our gains and entertainment.
Since the start of economic reform in China in 1978, China has risen to be the third largest economy on earth with a population of 1.3 billion people. China’s sheer size means that everything about it tends to be vast and this includes the animal suffering. But hope lies from within this vast country. As the sleeping economic and political giant rapidly awakens, so does the desire to protect, respect and care for the many billions of animals that share this vast land.
As market traders abuse and torture animals for food, as performers beat, humiliate and break the spirits of animals in the name of entertainment, as people sit back and laugh at the misery and sorrow of bears made to walk on their front paws or made to “box” each other in pathetic displays of human dominion so a new generation of animal welfarists is emerging. Welfarists willing to stand up and be the voice for the animals, willing to challenge the authorities on their actions and willing to question the very people that use and abuse animals in the name of entertainment and greed. It is in this generation that we find the hope for the future of China’s animals.
For all of these animals, stripped of their physical characteristics, their spirits beaten, all that remains is their souls. For each and every one of these souls, we have to be their voice, they have lost theirs the moment they are born into this cruel, heartless world. We have to fight for the rights of the lost souls and reduce the suffering of the many billions crying out for our help, and along the way save the individuals as well. Making a difference to just one life can have repercussions that help improve the lives of millions.
For this one kitten, even our hand of human kindness could not save her life. She died after receiving the love, care and ultimately the respect from within her new world. We named her “Panda”.
To Panda, you are beautiful in every single way, your life and the lives of every other soul that enters this world only to be taken brutally and callously without meeting the hand of human kindness, is worthy of more than we can ever provide. You were loved from the moment you arrived to the moment you departed.
I found this photo of Dr John holding Panda. A perfect little soul.
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When celebrity chef Simon Bryant arrived on site at our bear sanctuary in Chengdu, it was smiles all round. Simon is a fabulously popular personality in Australia and this talented chef and committed animal lover was happy to help in any way he could to benefit China’s dogs, cats and bears!
Poor Simon hardly had time to catch his breath as he stepped off the flight and walked straight into a press conference we had arranged for his arrival. It couldn’t have been more meaningful for companion animals in China, as Simon, along with chefs from Chengdu and our own on-site chefs (Li Damu, Zeng Zhiming, Deng Chengfang, Fu Kai) enthusiastically signed a pledge in front of an array of China’s print and TV media promising that they would never cook, serve or eat dogs and cats.
With a variety of our Dr Dogs and rescued dogs helping them to make the point, Simon and the local chefs happily spoke to the cameras and emphasised why humankind was so much better off with dogs and cats as friends, rather than food.
With a couple of hours spare before our flight to Guangzhou, Simon had time for a quick walk around the sanctuary to meet bears like Douglas, who ambled happily over to the fence-line to say hello.
And then it was time to take a deep breath and head off for the not-so-happy experience of visiting a live-animal market and several safari parks in southern China.
As ever, these hideous places exhibited the best and worst of humankind. The best of course was demonstrated by people like our own Chinese staff of Rainbow and Irene as they tirelessly chaperoned Simon, Dave (our Animal Welfare Director), and I to some of the worst hell-holes for animals on this earth.
Appalling safari parks and their even-more appalling animal shows, where lions, tigers, bears and elephants were beaten, whipped and spiked to perform acts so unnatural to their instincts in the wild, and where the majority of enclosures held emaciated shells of animals that had given up all hope.
Our first trip to the Guilin Tiger and Bear Park was a shocking example of how these park managers deceive the government and China. Many years ago, we exposed this park’s ghastly practice of “live-animal feeding”.
At that time, Boris (our founding member and Project Director) and I filmed juvenile tigers attacking and then biting the bodies of live piglets and young calves as the tigers were supposedly “trained” in preparation for the wild. As the audience cheered, the animals cried out pitifully in fear and pain, while slowly bleeding to death. A diesel tractor then drove into the ring, where it finally separated the tigers from their prey and shunted the crippled and dying animals outside to be slaughtered finally.
A “front” for the real practice of selling tiger bone wine, and extracting bile from the bears, this park has the horrible facade of pretending to be a place of paradise for two of China’s most beautiful endangered species.
On this return visit with Simon, we were greeted at the entrance by a sight that left us reeling. On entering the park, there standing tall and proud portraying a happy ambassador welcoming visitors to the park was a picture of our own rescued bear, Andrew.
At first I found it hard to register that our glorious three-legged moon bear, who died of liver cancer in February 2006, was now the poster boy for a park that hurt and exploited tigers and bears so terribly.
But here he was, obscenely painted onto the welcoming poster at the front gate – and no doubt turning in his grave. There are no words to describe our anger – and yes, we are definitely taking this up with the authorities concerned.
As we later chatted – just like tourists – to the salesgirl in the shop, filming every sentence too, we learned that it was easy to export bear bile and tiger bone wine to the UK (and, by default, the world) – which in fact, and not surprisingly, is illegal
under both Chinese and international law. Note: another letter to another Chinese bureau. As our “tour” moved on we saw this beautiful bear – detoothed, defenceless and depressed.
The final horrors of this park saw a performance in an outdoor arena, where petrified bears were forced to ride a motorbike on a high-wire at least 10 metres high, another bear shutting his eyes and trying to jerk his head back as the trainer held on to the rope around his muzzle and viciously punched him in the face – time and time again – when he didn’t perform on cue.
Majestic tigers – one with a huge tumour on his leg (above) – were humiliated and degraded at every opportunity. We left with heavy hearts, but promising to take this up with the authorities – and vowing to have Andrew’s picture removed.
The next day – Sunday morning – saw the live-animal market teeming with cages and pens of dogs, cats, donkeys, goats, rabbits, chickens, all miserably awaiting their fate. As ever, many of the poor dogs were wearing collars, showing that they’d either been stolen from their family’s homes, or where perhaps the owners had sold them to the market traders when they were no longer wanted.
At one point, Dave heard a loud mewing and we saw a tiny newborn kitten underneath one of the cat cages, where a mother had recently aborted her young.
As Dave broke away and caused a diversion, I quietly scooped the little mite from the ground and underneath my T-shirt. Irene realised immediately what was happening and casually passed over her handbag so that we could more easily hide the kitten and get back into our car and leave.
A quick call to Dr John at his vet clinic in Guangzhou saw him waiting there when we arrived and once again he was called to help with a life that almost certainly wouldn’t survive. Just a year ago, we had brought him two newborn kittens found on the ground of another market, but sadly they didn’t live.
Still, she was strong and, in between sleeping, had suckled on my fingers on the drive from the market, clearly with a will to survive. All we could do was leave her in John’s capable hands and keep everything crossed. We named her “Panda”, in the hope that such a proud name would spur her on.
The other safari parks we visited – the Xiongsen Bear & Tiger Mountain Village in Guilin and the Xiangjiang Safari park in Guangzhou – were ghastly too – the same acts, the same deafening music announcing the shows and the same miserable, depleted animals, beaten into submission by people who just didn’t care. And these poor animals are usually housed in stark cells of concrete and metal bars.
After seeing a particularly sad elephant show, where the trainers flourished a small white stick, we realised that a pointed spike had been inserted at the end, and was being used as negative reinforcement; the trainers were abusing the poor animals into performing as they wished. Rainbow managed to take close-up pictures and these too will be sent to the park managers as evidence of how some members of their audience will not be fooled.
At one point when the show had finished, Rainbow strode into the performance ring and asked one of the trainers to show him his “magic stick”. The trainer had long since got rid of it and professed not to know what Rainbow had meant. I couldn’t have been more proud of Rainbow for those few minutes as he stood there fearless, persistent, and making his point about how ashamed he was as a Chinese witnessing these depraved acts of abuse.
So now, finally away from the cruelty, we are currently writing up notes and sending letters to the safari parks concerned, and discussing the feasibility of a conference next year to focus on the plight of performing wild animals.
Panda didn’t make it. Dr John called the next day saying that she had passed away – our little ray of hope among the horror, whose light had faded and died.
Poor chef Simon was broken by what he’d seen – a never-ending round of horror – wave after wave of sickening, violent behaviour towards animals broken by uncaring, individuals who perhaps have become immune to the mental and physical abuse they inflict.
The final sight of a dobermann caged in a dog-breeding park saw Simon walking quietly away, head bowed – leaving dedicated people like Rainbow and Irene fighting to protect the image of a country that is tainted with the misery and bloodshed of the animals it betrays.
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Many of our rescued bears in China and Vietnam are sleeping longer and eating less, telling us that winter's on the way. For the more active youngsters still bouncing around the sanctuary with their friends, I think they might have guessed that some festive goodies may be coming their way soon. If you'd like to make it a special Christmas for them - and for your family and friends - please consider buying your holiday gifts from us this year.
We have some great new "gifts with meaning", which means the gift you buy goes straight to the bears and a beautiful card goes to your loved one.
There's everything from pots of honey and tubs of raisins to outdoor play equipment and life-saving surgery. We also have some stunning new cards and calendars featuring (of course) our beautiful bears. So please, take a look at our revamped online Gift Shop and put some real meaning back into your holidays.
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Chu Chu grinned as he always did – that silly beaming smile of his that stretches from ear to ear – and the years rolled back. It was Sunday, 18th October and my first visit in many years to Panyu, southern China, but the bears hadn’t changed one jot.
Originally there were nine of them, all rescued from a bear farm in Guangdong Province. I visited this farm – only the second I’d ever visited – way back in 1993. This shocking photo was taken at the time:
After hearing the agreement from the Chinese government that the bears could be rescued, IFAW Founder Brian Davies, and Trustees Jean, Mary and Karen lost no time in agreeing to fund a beautiful sanctuary to house and keep them all safe. Boris came on as the Project Manager and Gail as the Vet, and before we knew it the sanctuary was up and running and the bears all moved in.
That was in 1995 when I was a consultant to IFAW and before Animals Asia was born. Today only five of the bears remain (Xie Sheung, Digger, Elizabeth [now nicknamed Bebe], Hong and Chu Chu) – and all just as gorgeous as they were a lifetime ago. Sadly over the years we were to lose Yat Ho, Donny, Cookie and Boris. Gone, but never forgotten.
In the time that passed, Gail and Boris joined me in setting up Animals Asia together with John and Winnie – and we went on to concentrate on the bear farming issue, rescuing hundreds of bears in Chengdu. Such was the frenetic pace that IFAW agreed to take sole charge of the Panyu bears, leaving us to concentrate even more on bear projects in both China and Vietnam.
But recently, we happily agreed with IFAW that these bears, entering their twilight years, would now benefit from more friends as their own numbers inevitably dwindled and, today, here they were joining their new family, in Chengdu.
Escorting them on the two-day journey by road was Kati Loeffler and Tan Minjung from IFAW (with Jeff and Melissa waving them off from Panyu and Jeff then flying over to join us in Chengdu for the arrival), and Boris, Jen, Rainbow, Rocky, Ou Jun, Xiang Wei Rong, Caroline and me from Animals Asia, all setting off on a non-stop 48-hour journey of 2,100km from Panyu to Chengdu.
And it was such an amazing journey with all five bears as relaxed as they could possibly be in their roomy recovery cages on the back of the truck.
Boris had set the scene by arranging the complicated logistics with IFAW, and then he, Rocky and the team made sure everything went safely and smoothly. Kati and Tan Minjung offered advice along the way, while the journey went from hour to hour without a hitch.
Hastily grabbed meals and nights sleeping rough on the back-up coach for us – and the bears, of course, number one priority and treated like kings of the road. Jen and Kati pretty much didn’t keep their eyes off the road and such was their dedication to smooth driving and avoiding the bumps, I thought that both might eventually wrestle the steering wheel from the drivers’ hands.
We stopped every couple of hours so that checks could be made and the bears fed and cleaned. Far from being stressed, they scoffed everything put in their food trays. Even the marshmallows that Jen and Caroline carefully stuffed with medication, rapidly disappeared when offered to Xie Sheung, Bebe and Chu Chu. And always, there was Rainbow with his camera in hand recording almost every minute of the trip. Here's a lovely pic of Digger, cooling her paw in her drinking trough.
At one checkpoint along the way, we were side by side with a tour coach, whose Chinese passengers saw the banners on the side of the truck and promptly smiled and gave us the thumbs up. In fact, people would often walk over – especially when we stopped for fuel – and we could see their eyes almost pop from their sockets when they saw Hong curiously peering at them through a gap in the canvas.
Finally we arrived at the sanctuary around 10.30am on Tuesday, to the waiting media and a happy crowd of Animals Asia staff welcoming the bears to their new home. Bebe was the first off the truck – happy as Larry in a position I remember her most all those years ago, sitting up on her bottom, and blinking calmly out at the crowd without a care in the world. I half expected her to cross her arms and ask what took us so long.
The bears looked great, but Kati was a little worried about Hong who appeared “flat”, and it seemed that the journey had taken its toll. Releasing him into his new den in House 10 only added to his caution, as we saw him pace nervously up and down, still ill at ease with all the new sights, sounds and smells.
But in keeping with how brave bears really are, happily this morning (Wednesday) Hong was settled enough to come to the bars of the den when he smelled the honey pot open for Xie Sheung – and contentedly slurped away when his turn came, with eyes closed in bliss.
When the doors opened into the enclosure, Digger just pipped Chu Chu to the post. But while she daintily explored the area just outside of the den, Chu Chu never stopped walking - and strode purposefully towards the swimming pool (his favourite activity according to Tan Minjung) for a quick sniff before deciding it was a bit early for a swim, and that the snacks all around would do nicely instead. Here he is sniffing out a piece of apple (and enjoying a good back scratch after his snack!)
The others followed suit and before long the enclosure had them all enjoying the day – as vet Jen said “doing pretty well given all the new things in their world”. And as Boris discovered this morning when he went to check on the bears he first met all those years ago, they love their new hanging-basket beds. Here's Boris with his old friends - all snug and cosy enjoying a lie in, knowing the door to their new enclosure is open and a host of new delights awaits them.
So now we’ve welcomed 265 bears into our little place of peace and love in Chengdu, and we’re hopeful that the Chinese government will keep its promise of more to be rescued before the end of the year.
Kati, Jeff, Lisa, Tan Minjung (pictured here) and IFAW a big thank you for the special care and attention you have lavished on these bears over the years – and for so capably and carefully helping to bring them to their final home and family, Animals Asia in Chengdu.
Please click here to read our press release about the bears and our special relationship with handsome Xie Sheung, our Animals Asia logo bear!
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While some friends and supporters have been visiting us in China and Vietnam, others have been helping us from home and putting their hearts and souls into local fundraisers for our Honey Money Days.
As the summer comes to an end, inspiration and passion has surged in the last of the warm days as Diana Trawford and her husband Andrew organised an amazing Caribbean event in Sidmouth in the UK – complete with an authentic Caribbean DJ, reggae music and a limbo dance!
Diana and Andrew put on a great event that was a lot of fun - boosted no doubt by Andrew's secret recipe for rum punch (see him in action here). But they also made sure guests understood why they were there, as they set up an education room with a TV loop of our film “China Bear Rescue – the Beginning”, and display boards all around.
As a vet nurse, Diana has generously volunteered on site in Chengdu three times now and was able to bring her own experiences with the bears into the display pictures to really connect people with the issue and how much everyone can help!
Long-standing supporters, fabulous Chris and Roy from Exmouth also set up an info booth outside – and two local restaurants donated raffle prizes of meals and wine. Thank you Diana and Andrew for being so generous and for giving the bears such a loud and inspirational voice in the UK.
Meanwhile, in Germany, supporters of rescued bears Babo (in China) and Moggy (in Vietnam) Dieter Haeckl (below) and his team from Animals Asia Support Group Babenhausen have been super busy too.
Just last month during the town festival, they set up one of their popular Animals Asia stalls and saw the honey money flowing in as people flocked to their booth to learn more.
Dieter, Gudrun and their team are wonderful ambassadors for the bears and have been active for years as they brave the elements and talk themselves hoarse to spread the word. Here's a pic of lovely Angela Ernst, Claudia Haeckl (Dieter's sister) and Gudrun Haeckl (Dieter's wife).
Thank you all for your voices, passion and sheer hard work, which brings us closer to the ultimate celebration – when bear farming ends.
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