Page 3 - Animals Asia Review 2011
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LETTER FROM
Jill Robinson
Dear friends,
Welcome to our latest Animals Asia Review! The past year has
been challenging and exciting as we continue to focus on ending
bear farming. As well as caring for the rescued bears at our
sanctuaries in Chengdu and Tam Dao, we rolled out an array of
education and public awareness programmes, leaving no one in
any doubt about the health risks of consuming bile.
Our China team is going into shopping malls and community
centres for the elderly, talking to those who might consume bile.
We’re promoting alternatives to bile with the help of traditional
doctors and pharmacies, schools and universities, colleges that are training the country’s future
forestry oficials and traditional medicine practitioners, as well as our wonderful support groups
across China.
Our Healing without Harm message is spreading far and wide, with people going online to popular
microblogs and social networking sites to tell millions of other Chinese the truth about bear
bile farming. We’re building relationships with the Chinese media, and last year saw a massive
breakthrough, with intensive coverage of bear farming. The authorities are hearing this outcry, which
is coming not from outside China, but from their own people – and I know they are listening.
In Vietnam too, Animals Asia is playing a crucial role, providing research, expertise and advice to
law-makers and enforcement oficials, and we’re seeing increased enforcement efforts against
illegal farms. Another 30 lucky bears joined our Vietnam family throughout the year. Our sanctuaries
continue to provide us with scientiic proof that bear farming is inhumane, which is critical when
lobbying for change, and up against an untruthful industry.
Animals Asia ended the year with renewed hope as we watched China’s extraordinary awakening to
animal welfare... more and more people are saying “no” to animal abuse, “no” to the abomination of
bear bile farming and “no” to the horrors of the trade in cats and dogs for their meat.
Thank you for being such an important part of the change.
Warm wishes and bear hugs,
Dr Jill Robinson MBE
Founder and CEO
Animals Asia Foundation
animalsasia.org | Animals Asia Review 2011 3
