(CN) AAF's Moon Bear Rescue Centre - Press Release

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends of Animals Asia,

Yesterday saw the Official Launch of the Animals Asia " Moon Bear Rescue

Centre " in China with the opening of the first phase of our bamboo forest

sanctuary for the bears. We have pleasure in enclosing our press release

below with the full story.

Most exciting of all is the fact that today the story of Animals Asia's work

with the bears is splashed all over television and print media across

China!!! This is a major breakthrough for our China Bear Rescue and we

believe is another giant step on the road to ending bear farming forever!

Heartfelt thanks for your support and faith in our work.

Warm wishes,

Annie Mather

Media Director

Animals Asia Foundation, Hong Kong

 

CHINESE GOVERNMENT ATTENDS OFFICIAL OPENING

OF ANIMALS ASIA'S MOON BEAR RESCUE CENTRE....

AND RE-AFFIRMS INTENTION TO END BEAR FARMING

 

On Monday 16th December 2002, the Chinese Government Departments of

Beijing and Sichuan joined with non-government Hong Kong based

organisation Animals Asia Foundation in opening the largest Moon Bear

Sanctuary in the world.

 

Prior to the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, the

parties hosted a press briefing of national and international media,

where officials emphasised that it was the intention of the Chinese

Central Government to end the cruel practice of bear farming country

wide.

 

Mr. Chen Run Shen, Secretary General of the Beijing based China Wildlife

Conservation Association (CWCA), a Government Department of the State

Forestry Administration, publicly announced several crucial statements

from the Central Government:

 

" 1. Currently the number of bear farms in China has greatly reduced and

the number of bears on farms has not increased. The international

reports of the 9000 figure is pure speculation and has no grounding at

all.

 

2. The CWCA confirms that the China Central Government has no plans or

intentions to commercialise the usage of bear bile on the international

market.

 

3. The CWCA, on behalf of the Chinese Central Government, fully supports

and recognises the efforts of the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) in the

rescue of Moon bears in China. We will continue to support the work of

the AAF and together with the AAF we will achieve our final objective of

terminating bear farming in China. "

 

Mr. Chen added: " We humans have only one planet - however the planet

does not belong to us, it belongs to the animals as well. We should

treat animals better. "

 

Mr. Chen and other government officials were later filmed assisting the

Animals Asia Veterinary team in cutting open a cage and freeing a

previously farmed Moon Bear.

 

Mr. Peng Huang Shi, Deputy Head of the Sichuan Forestry Department,

formally stated that the number of farms and bears in Sichuan Province

had also decreased and paid tribute to the tripartite cooperation of the

relevant Government Departments and Animals Asia in rescuing bears from

farms in that Province.

 

During the briefing, officials and media were updated on the progress of

the China Bear Rescue by Jill Robinson MBE, Founder & CEO of Animals

Asia, who advised that, since the rescue began in October 2000, 35 farms

had closed and 97 bears had been confiscated into the care of the

Animals Asia's Moon Bear Sanctuary in Chengdu.

 

The farms licenses were confiscated, farmers were compensated to enable

them to enter new employment outside of bear farming, and the government

was issuing no new licenses countrywide. She emphasised that all bear

farming in Asia was an unnecessary and inhumane practice.

 

Professor Liu Zhen Cai, a Chinese Traditional Medicine Practitioner,

gave a formal statement on behalf of his medical colleagues: " I have

been a practitioner of Chinese medicine for over 40 years and have never

used bear bile. " he said. " Today we have over 50 herbal alternatives

and synthetic medicines which have the same efficacy as bear bile - and

there is no need for bears to suffer any longer. "

 

Whilst Robinson paid tribute to the help of the Government in the

rescue, she also emphasised the need for addressing the issue of

breeding on the current farms and called on the relevant Government

departments to issue a country wide breeding ban in order to address one

of the root problems in the industry.

 

Mr. David Bleyle, US Consul General in Sichuan also joined the press

briefing and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and pledged his support for the

rescue and for ending bear farming in China: " Today

marks an important step in the Government's commitment for working with

Animals Asia and ending a cruel and unnecessary trade in China " he said.

" We encourage the ongoing closure of the farms and urgent attention

towards the end of bear farming once and for all. "

 

As the first phase of the enclosed bamboo forest sanctuary was formally

opened, the first group of farmed bears rescued in October 2000 took

hesitant steps into the forest watched by local and

international media and over twenty Central and local government

officials. As the den doors opened, bears Jasper and Aussie cautiously

raised their noses to the air and breathed in the smell of a natural

environment which was far removed from their lives on a farm.

 

As the bears slowly disappeared into the forest, Robinson said she was

cautiously optimistic that the announcements by the Government in China

were a sincere endeavour to end the trade in bile

extraction and bear farming and hoped this could happen by the Beijing

2008 Olympic Games. " We can never forget that thousands of bears are

still suffering on farms for a practice which is outdated and cruel.

However, today, the China Bear Rescue is now becoming a symbol for

animal protection and conservation and we have reason to believe that

there is progress - and hope - for farmed bears in China. "

 

Ends.

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Contact:

Jill Robinson Animals Asia Foundation - (852) 90958405

Annie Mather Animals Asia Foundation - (852) 27912225

Find out more about the historic China Bear Rescue by visiting the

Animals Asia Foundation website at http://www.animalsasia.org