Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and legendary drummer named Animals Asia US Ambassador
30 April 2013
Animals Asia has named Matt Sorum, the legendary Los Angeles-based drummer, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award-winning musician who has played with Guns N’ Roses, The Cult and Velvet Revolver, as its newest Ambassador for the United States.
Read here how it all came about
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Jill wins prestitious International Rescue award at Britain’s first Animal Honours
18 April 2013
Animals Asia founder Jill Robinson has been announced as a winner at Britain’s Animal Honours event in a ceremony that aired on primetime British TV.
Jill, whose life changed forever when she first walked into a bear bile farm in China 20 years ago, won in the International Rescue category. Having seen for herself the horrific conditions bears suffer for up to 30 years in such farms, a personal vow to help has seen her open sanctuaries in China and Vietnam and has dramatically raised the profile of the campaign to improve animal welfare in both countries.
Please read more here
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Animals Asia’s founder’s “Lifetime Achievement” recognised at awards
13 March 2013
Animals Asia founder Jill Robinson has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement award at the 2013 Burgess Wetnose Animal Rescue Awards in London.
No one deserves it more! You can read more about it here
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Chinese activists stop truck carrying 900 dogs to slaughter
6 March 2013
Animal welfare activists in China have stopped a truck carrying 900 dogs due to be slaughtered for their meat.
Animals Asia’s founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE commented:
“These initiatives by Chinese activists are just a small part of a growing movement within China showing great dedication from many Chinese people to the welfare of animals. The cruelty and illegal aspects of the trade are also becoming an area of concern for the media and public too. This consumption of cats and dogs has become a black market industry with domestic animals and strays being abducted in order to create a zero-cost business.”
You can read more about the rescue on the main Animals Asia website here
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New Year Rescue: One Month On
All six New Year Rescue bears now recovering from successful gall bladder operations
One month on from the New Year Rescue that saw six bears arrive at Animals Asia’s sanctuary in Chengdu from an illegal bear bile farm in Sichuan Province, each has undergone successful surgery to remove their damaged gall bladders.
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New Year Rescue: Six bears rescued from illegal bear bile farm in China
Six bears rescued from the bear bile industry were delivered yesterday (Wednesday, January 9th) by the Sichuan Forestry Department to Animals Asia’s sanctuary in Chengdu, China.
The bears were from an illegal farm in Sichuan province with their rescue a partnership between the Sichuan Forestry Department and Animals Asia. Today they are all being given health checks to assess their general condition.
To follow live tweets from the rescue and subsequent health checks go to Animals Asia’s Twitter page
Or follow the unfolding events via updates on the New Year Rescue Timeline
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Christmas Bon Bon
Rescued bear transferred to Animals Asia’s Vietnam sanctuary
A rescued moon bear has been transferred to Animals Asia’s Vietnam sanctuary, having been confiscated from a trader by police in Sa Thay district of Kon Tum Province, in Central Vietnam, close to the Cambodian border.
Please read more here
Tuan Bendixsen, Vietnam Director, Animals Asia, commented:
“We welcome Bon Bon to our family just in time for Christmas. Despite the eviction threat, Animals Asia has taken on this new bear as we are his best hope. There are four other wildlife rescue centres that take bears but they are small facilities and overcrowded. We made the decision to help, as we had one den spare that would be able to house Bon Bon. While the Prime Minister is still weighing his decision, we cannot shirk our responsibility towards the country’s endangered species of bears and even though we are in a precarious situation, its clear that this bear is better off with us than elsewhere.”
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China Bear Rescue – December 2012
Two precious young gifts for Christmas
Two young moon bears have arrived safely at the China Bear Rescue Centre, after a long trip from the mountainous region of Yibin county. The pair were recently confiscated by the Sichuan Forestry Department from local villagers, who found them in the wild nearly two years ago.
You can read the full story and see some photos and video footage of their arrival at the sanctuary here
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Ali MacGraw visits the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre
Ali MacGraw fell in love with the bears – this is her message:
“The world will watch. It can become a moral for how human beings protect other species. This is very very important. Right now the eyes of the world are on this sanctuary. Watching to see whether it’s so valuable to the spirit of Vietnam and what most of the Vietnamese want. I am optimistic, I believe people are good and I believe that when they look into their hearts they say: ‘This is the right thing. This is the right thing to do’. Ali MacGraw, December 3rd, 2012, Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre http://www.stoptheeviction.info/
For more photos please visit Animals Asia’s Facebook page here
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Campaign to save Vietnam bear sanctuary gains international political support
27 November 2012: Politicians from around the world have added their names to the campaign to save Animals Asia’s bear sanctuary in Vietnam that houses 104 bears rescued from the illegal bear bile trade.
The supporters include 37 members of the UK parliament, 7 members of the US congress, 27 members of the European parliament, 2 Australian MPs and a representative of the Swedish parliament.
Please click here to read the full update
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Vietnam Update – 6 November 2012
Ministry of Defence asked to justify “defence significance” claims
According to a report in Vietnamese newspaper Người Lao Động (The Labourer), Vietnam’s Ministry of Defence has been asked to make clear why the land in Tam Dao National Park on which Animals Asia’s bear sanctuary is located has been declared to be of “national defence significance”.
The request came at a meeting convened by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on Friday 26 October, which was attended by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment (MONRE), representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office, and the military commander of Vinh Phuc Province, where Tam Dao National Park is located.
Please read full details here and help stop the eviction by taking action here www.animalsasia.org/StopTheEviction and sharing this link far and wide
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Cub Rescue, Vietnam
Moon bear cubs rescued from smugglers
Thursday 20 September, 2012: Two small moon bear cubs, confiscated form smugglers in North Vietnam, were rescued by our Vietnam team and successfully transported home to our Moon Bear Rescue Centre at Tam Dao National Park.
Please click here for the full story and photographs of the rescue and the cubs in their new home
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Bear bile farming industry put on notice by World Conservation Congress
IUCN passes bear farming resolution
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, the world’s largest and most important conservation event has passed a resolution addressing the issue of bear bile farming.
The resolution encourages Korea and Vietnam to continue their efforts towards ending bear farming and calls for states that practice bear farming to:
- work with the IUCN to close down illegal bear farms (those that do not comply with regulations)
- issue no further licenses or permits for farms
- prevent an increase in bear numbers on existing farms
- ensure no wild-caught bears are added to farms
- conduct research into bear bile substitutes
- establish a monitoring system to track trends in wild bear populations
Importantly, the resolution also calls for a scientifically independent, peer-reviewed situation analysis into whether all these points have been followed — most notably, how bear farming affects the conservation of wild bears.
Please read more here
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“Moon Bear” Documentary wins Award
“Best Educational Value Award” presented at festival
“Moon Bear” the hard-hitting, undercover documentary showing the brutality of the bear bile industry across China, has just won a top award at the Fifth China Ya’an International Panda, Animals and Nature Film Week.
Held on August 20, 2012, the documentary was awarded audience favourite “Best Educational Value” film.
You can read more and watch the documentary here
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China Support Groups – Summer Camp 2012
Fourth annual camp brings teams together
In early August 2012, our Moon Bear Rescue Centre
in Chengdu, China hosted its fourth annual camp for supporters from across the country.
Animals Asia has organized the Supporter Group Summer Camp every year since 2008 and this year,another 29 supporters from different corners of China had the opportunity to share their love and passion for moon bears. The participants not only visited the sanctuary, but also took part in animal welfare training, capacity building workshops, case study analysis, etc. The camp is also a great forum for them to connect with each other and share their experiences.
You can read more here and see some photos
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Vietnam Bear Rescue – July 2012
Cat Ba Island now bear farm free
On 31 July 2012, our Vietnam rescue team successfully removed a young, female bear from Cat Ba Island and ferried her home to the Moon Bear Rescue Centre in Tam Dao National Park.
She was the last of 16 bears once captive on the island but reduced over the years as the local Forest Protection Department (FPD) gradually convinced their owners to give them up. Cat Ba Island is now bear farm free.
You can read the full story here and see photos of the rescue
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Responsible Dog Care in China
Animals Asia and Guangzhou city officials team up to teach children about responsible dog ownership and care, with our wonderful Professor Paws dogs and volunteers taking the lead in this joint event.
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China Summer Camp
Volunteers update animal welfare knowledge
Animal guardians and volunteers from our Cat and Dog Welfare programme in China recently joined us to learn more about animal welfare and captive animal care.
Read more about our first camp here
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Campaign to stop illegal bear bile exports from China to Korea
Tourists and travel agencies targeted
A public awareness campaign to end the cross-border trade of bear bile from China to South Korea will be launched on Wednesday 27 June 2012 at a ceremony in Seoul, South Korea.
Please read more here
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China’s doctors pledge to end bear bile use
At the 8th Shanghai International Forum of Infection Control held recently in Shandong province, China, more than one thousand doctors signed a pledge to never use bear bile again
You can read the full story and see more photos here
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Eye specialists revisit the bears
April 2012: Once again we were very fortunate to have the veterinary ophthalmology specialists from the Animal Health Trust (AHT) in the UK visit our moon bear rescue centres in both Vietnam and China.
The team this time consisted of AHT veterinary ophthalmologists David Donaldson and Claudia Hartley – on their third and fourth visits respectively – AHT theatre manager James Gasson, and volunteer vet nurse Emily Gorman who has also spent time working with our bears on-site in Chengdu. They were very generous in donating their time, surgical consumables and the use of their specialist equipment.
Please read the full story here
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New kitchen for bears in China
Four years after being destroyed by the devastating earthquake which rocked Chengdu in May 2008, the Moon Bear Rescue Centre celebrated the opening of its brand new “bear kitchen” with the help of some great friends and supporters.
Read the full story here
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Owner surrenders single bear
Backyard existence over for young male moon bear
On 15th May, a team from the Moon Bear Rescue Centre, Tam Dao, Vietnam successfully rescued and brought home a single bear, who had languished for years in the backyard of a private household.
The young, male bear – nicknamed “Trung Hau” (kind and gentle) by team-member Nguyen – underwent a brief health-check at the rescue site and was calm and composed on the 10-hour journey back to the rescue centre from Vinh City, Nghe An province.
You can read the full story and see pictures of the rescue here
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China says NO to bear bile – update May 2012
The campaign continues
The cruelty of the bear farming industry was exposed to the Chinese people on an unprecedented scale in February 2012, with the issue dominating headlines for weeks. The reaction from the public was of overwhelming opposition to this barbaric industry.
Please read more here and find out how you can help.
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City Bear Rescue in Vietnam
Company “mascot” surrendered by owners
On Friday, 20 April 2012, a small rescue team from our Moon Bear Rescue Centre in Tam Dao National Park made a quick trip to Hanoi to rescue a young moon bear.
In the heart of the city, located only 15 minutes away from our central office, one female moon bear had languished for 13 years in the loading yard of a local company.
You can read the full rescue story here and see more photos
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“The Moonbear” undercover documentary on bear bile farming in China
Released 28 February 2012
In less than 24 hours after the release of the full-length documentary “Moonbear”, over 600,000 people in China have viewed the incredible footage, showing enormous support for and echoing the public outcry against bear farming in China.
Read more and watch the documentary here
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China says no to bear farms
Unprecedented outcry against bear farming – February 2012
The last few weeks have seen massive countrywide condemnation of bear farming in China with the issue saturating the news and putting the bear farming industry on the defensive.
Please read more here
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Vietnam welcomes another bear home
On Sunday, 5 February 2012, a small team from our Vietnam rescue centre headed off to Son Tay District, Quang Ngai Province to rescue a moon bear. This solitary little bear has, to our knowledge, spent her entire life so far in a barren cage in a back yard while surrounded by mountains and forest where, because of its remote mountain location, bears still roam free and sign can be found in the forest.
Please read the full story here
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New Cub House in Vietnam
The new Cub House opened at our Moon Bear Rescue Centre in Vietnam in January and its first tenants have moved in! Bear pairs Sa and Dung and Wayne and Peter Robert Baynes recently got acquainted in person and set out to explore the great outdoors for the first time in their young lives! Read about them here and watch a short video of them playing in their new enclosure.
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Just in time for Christmas …
On 29 November 2011, our Vietnam team rescued 14 bears in south Vietnam and travelled over 2,000km back to our Moon Bear Rescue Centre in Tam Dao. Read all about our rescue here
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What Do You Buy a Bear for Christmas?
Menswear journalist, blogger and See The Difference fan Sam Outing steps away from the latest collars and cuffs to discover a bear of a story he didn’t know …
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International family of friends 
Animals Asia has profiled four rescued bears in the lead up to Christmas to remind supporters that without their help, these beautiful animals would still be languishing on bear farms across Asia. Billabong has come a long way since his rescue with 37 other bears in late 2003. Read his story here.
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Interesting article in The Wall Street Journal – could we soon see an end to dog eating across Asia?
