(CN) Official ban urged on bear farming

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Some people have had difficulty accessing the SCMP article - I am therefore

sending in the body of this message (I am sure the Post won't mind):

 

South China Morning Post

http://hongkong.scmp.com/ZZZ8SRJ0YUC.html

Saturday, December 8, 2001 by VICTORIA BUTTON

 

A Hong Kong-based animal charity will call on the central

Government to make a policy statement against bear-bile farming as part of a

proposal to speed the end of the practice.

 

Representatives from the Animals Asia Foundation were invited to

submit a proposal during a meeting with the government-affiliated China

Wildlife Conservation Association in Beijing.

 

The meeting followed a programme on China Central Television showing

cruel conditions at bear-bile farms in Yunnan province.

 

The chief executive of the foundation, Jill Robinson, said it already

had an agreement to work towards ending bear-bile farming with Sichuan

Forestry Department and the conservation association.

 

" While our agreement has the approval of the central Government,

there's no central policy on bear farming, " she said.

 

Together the groups had rescued more than 60 bears - surgically

removing large metal catheters used to collect their bile - resulting in the

closure of 30 farms, Ms Robinson said.

 

She said a policy statement from the central Government was

desperately needed to speed the process of ending bear-bile farming. More

than 6,000 bears remain on bile farms.

 

The lack of a policy caused confusion among people supporting the

foundation's work to free bears and hindered fund-raising efforts, she said.

" It would give other people confidence in our work. The whole thing would

escalate if that came through, " Ms Robinson said.

 

The foundation also wanted moves to ban breeding of bears on the farms

to ensure the population of captive bears being farmed for bile did not

grow, Ms Robinson said.