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Dear friend,
I’ve just returned from a trip to our Vietnam Bear Rescue Center and bring back with me words of gratitude from our staff there to each and every one of you who has taken the time to write to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as the Prime Minister, urging them to stop the eviction of our sanctuary. The message is getting through – and it’s being picked up by media around the world, including here in North America by The Washington Post, The New York Times and USA Today. All of us at Animals Asia have high hopes for a positive outcome and are deeply thankful for the support we are receiving from individuals, charities and governments around the world.
All the best,
Morgan Lance
US Director
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| Help us stop the eviction |
Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Center faces eviction from Tam Dao National Park following an aggressive campaign by the park director, Do Dinh Tien, who wants to see a tourism resort built on the site. A snapshot of Tien’s campaign can be seen in the short video “An About Face” by Australian filmmaker David Finnegan. Please
take a look at this video here and share it with those that care.
A big thanks to everyone who has already lent their support by sending emails, signing our petition or helping us to spread the word – especially those of you who contacted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recently, prior to them submitting their report to the Vietnamese Prime Minister. Please keep up to date with the campaign’s progress by following us on Facebook.
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| Boogie for Bears |
On Sunday, October 14 Animals Asia’s Southwestern Ontario volunteer group hosted “Boogie for Bears” in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada – an afternoon of yoga and Nia (a combination of yoga, martial arts, and dance) to raise much-needed funds and awareness for Animals Asia’s work to end bear bile farming. Held at Enjoy the Journey yoga studio, instructors encouraged bending, stretching, and boogieing participants to enjoy their flexibility, while thinking of the bears who are trapped in cages, unable to move. The four 45-minute classes began with overviews of the plight of the bears and Animals Asia’s work to help them. Says Southwestern Ontario volunteer group leader, Colleen Burns, “We jumped, twirled, pirouetted, and boogied…. We moved and danced for the bears, a freedom we should never take for granted.”
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| ‘Cages of Shame’ screening with Kai Madden
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On Tuesday, October 9 Animals Asia volunteer Kai Madden presented a special one-night-only screening of the Animals Asia documentary “Cages of Shame” at Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, NY. Directed by Martin Guinness, the compelling film about the rescue of 10 bears from a bear bile farm in China received the 2011 Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) ACE Documentary Film Grant. An eager audience traveled from near and far to learn more about Animals Asia’s work and watch this inspiring movie. Animals Asia’s Maya Gottfried answered questions after the screening and celebrated artist Ed Young signed copies of the children’s book “Moon Bear” by Brenda Z. Guiberson, which features his stunning paper-cut illustrations.
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| ‘Moon Bear' illustrator Ed Young visits sanctuary |
Ed Young, the Caldecott Award-winning American illustrator behind children’s book “Moon Bear”, took a trip to China in August – visiting bears at our bear rescue center in Chengdu and signing books at a Beijing event. “Moon Bear” was recently translated into Chinese, and is now available to families in China. Young’s event in Beijing was a huge success, with the artist signing more than 400 books for Chinese fans. Read more about Ed Young’s visit in Jill’s Blog.
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| Last bear rescued from Cat Ba Island |
It was an extra-special occasion when our Vietnam team welcomed beautiful “Cat Ba” home to our Tam Dao sanctuary in July. Not only was this young female bear safe forever from the terrible bile industry, but her rescue signaled an end to bear bile farming on the island. Sixteen bears were once held captive on the island, which is a popular tourist destination in Ha Long Bay, but thanks to the efforts of one man, all have now been rescued. See here for more.
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| Don’t miss our great new gifts |
Please think of the bears when choosing your end-of-year gifts for family and friends. This year, we have some very cool limited-edition T-shirts and other great new merchandise thanks to some fantastic artists who have donated their work for free. And of course we also have a great choice of “Gifts for the bears” where your donation makes an even bigger impact. When you give a “Gifts for the bears” – it could be a basket of fruit or a sturdy toy to help the bears rehabilitate – your donation sponsors an item that directly helps the recovering bears at our sanctuaries.
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 Get the latest news from Animals Asia by following us on Facebook. |
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