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Saturday, 06 February 2010 |
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Thanks for staying with us on our rescue journey. This is Chinh’s last diary entry. Please see our website for further updates on the progress of these brave bears.
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Tam Dao, 6 February 2010: It is hard for me to believe that it was less than two weeks ago that we drove into our rescue centre at Tam Dao with the 19 bears still in those horrible containers. A lot has happened since then. And the bears have changed so much already!
As I arrived to visit them in their quarantine area today, they looked very happy. Some were playing with the soft straw in their recovery cages and some were very relaxed, sitting quietly watching every movement. Some looked up as I walked slowly by their recovery cages, and some kept eating their watermelon. Perhaps they know they are at their lifelong home, so they are now calm and relieved.
We are still very shocked about poor Raspberry, who was put to sleep. Her funeral last week was very sad, but very respectful. About 30 staff came to say goodbye to Raspberry at the graveyard and some of my colleagues were crying. Everybody was thinking the same thing … poor Raspberry … Raspberry can never run on the grass.
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Jill and Cong, one of our bear workers, read English and Vietnamese versions of Spirit of Hope, a poem written by one of the volunteers at the China sanctuary. After Jill and Cong read the poem, they threw the sheets of paper into Raspberry’s grave. Everyone then threw small pieces of soil onto Raspberry’s body, and it was set alight as we silently sent our thoughts to him.
I really felt like part of a big family when we all stood around the big flames and later the grave when it was filled in and a beautiful heart-shaped bouquet was put on top. The heart has a special meaning….
Raspberry's other organs were so sick, and he was in such bad pain, but his heart still kept beating strongly. Maybe he knew that if he was strong and tried hard to survive, he would not have to die alone.
He has a big stone with his name on it as his headstone – to me, this is a symbol of how strong and brave he was to endure so much pain for so long. He was even calm and accepted fruit from us on the road. We are his family and we will never forget him.
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See here for more on the rescue.
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