Animals Asia hosted its first Hong Kong fundraiser for 2007 at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental on 13 May. We called the evening “The 11th Hour” because time is running out for so many bears still captive on farms in China and Vietnam.

It was a great opportunity for us to thank our supporters for their continued assistance and at the same time remind them just what we have achieved so far with their help. Some of our greatest supporters in Hong Kong were on hand to hear Jill’s presentation which centered around the horror of the latest bear rescue in Chengdu.

It was hard not to be effected by the poignant photographs of the bears that didn’t make it – and on a happier note, some of the ones that did, like “Watermelon” who continues to improve every day.

The bears were not the only stars of the evening, with our superstar supporter in every respect, Karen Mok, taking the time to come and speak to guests and the media on our behalf – and we got some great media coverage because of her!

Also out for the evening was Gigi Fu, who is a strong supporter of our Dr Dog and Professor Paws programmes and our patron Frank Pong, who gave a moving talk on the shameful legacy of bear bile.

Between presentations and superstars, we also managed to squeeze in a wandering minstrel type magician, an amazing auction of some wonderful sports and music memorabilia and a great raffle with a first prize of two tickets to Dubai from Emirates Airlines.

The enthusiastic response of the many generous supporters on the evening lifted our hearts just a day after a terrible earthquake hit Chengdu killing many thousands and seriously damaging a number of the buildings at the sanctuary.

We would like to thank all of you who came out and supported us and the bears and a very special thanks to the Landmark Mandarin Oriental for generously sponsoring the entire evening.