Fast on the heels of our conference in Beijing, which saw the attendance of over 250 traditional Chinese medicine doctors, scholars, government officials and policy-makers advocating the alternatives to endangered species, we then saw another exciting event in China – this time in Tianjin, near Beijing (where our beautiful brown bears, Caesar and Emma, were rescued with the help of the local forestry department).
What do you do with the hamper itself if you're lucky enough to get a basket full of goodies on Christmas Day? Put it in the loft, offer it to niece Nicole for her toys, or............. fill it with food suiting a bear's taste and give it to the residents of our sanctuary in Chengdu?
Hot on the heels of our UK trekkers to Vietnam, came our friends from Oz! Their trip involved several hours on site at our sanctuary in Tam Dao National Park before beginning the trek that would see them heading out of their comfort zone and experiencing the “real” Vietnam.
Over 250 members of the TCM community in China and across the world joined together in Beijing in the last weekend of November for the “International Symposium for the Conservation of Endangered Species and Traditional Chinese Medicine”. The symposium was sponsored by the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) and Animals Asia Foundation, together with the generous help of the Maria Norbury Foundation and Hauser Bears.
Good news from Vietnam! We recently welcomed a lovely 14-year-old male moon bear (nicknamed “Misa Hai”) to our Vietnam sanctuary. This poor boy had spent years trapped in a dark, dingy cage built into a couple’s kitchen in their house in Hue in central Vietnam (about 720km from our Tam Dao rescue centre). I’ll hand over to our Vietnam Director, Tuan, for details of the rescue and “Misa Hai’s” tragic story.
Have had a wonderful week with my sister Anne and family in the UK - where we also enjoyed the award-winning Christmas play, "Skellig", at the Bloomsbury Theater in London, with all seats so generously donated by the Birmingham Stage Company as a fundraiser for Animals Asia.
Our special Animals Asia staff around the world have put a lot of effort into this very silly, but very Christmassy blog. I hope you enjoy it – and our very first Christmas music video inspired by our latest arrival in Chengdu – little Jingle bear!
There's never a right time to hear bad news, but landing at Heathrow Airport this morning and hearing a voice mail from Heather that Assisi had passed away was the last thing I wanted to hear.
It seems hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I joined Alice, Morgan and Laura in the USA for our 2009 Roadshow. A whirlwind of time and emotions as we joined friends across the country, who put heart and soul into helping the animals of Asia by organising such innovative and amazing events.
In between all the excitement here in China and Vietnam, the days are ticking by for our big event in the UK this Christmas. The award-wining play, Skellig, will be staged at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London as a benefit for Animals Asia.
Jill founded Animals Asia in 1998, after an encounter with a caged bear on a farm in China changed her life forever. She now heads a team of over 300 enthusiastic staff and divides her time between our bear rescue centres in China and Vietnam and our Hong Kong head office. She travels extensively to participate in conferences and speak at fundraising events.
Read more here.
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