He is Muppet. And, having said all that, I can't think of a dog who deserves so much patience from his long-suffering carers, as he revels in the sheer joy of living, after narrowly escaping the butcher’s knife.
Yes, Muppet is "home". And what an amazing dog and four-legged friend he’s turning out to be. Vicki (his other "mum" who cares for him when I leave Chengdu) and I are taking it in turns to see how much we can bring out his good points, and improve on his "bad".
Every day has us laughing at his antics – whether hurtling off at a million miles an hour into the distance whenever we train him "off lead", or tossing himself into the long grass; turning somersaults of joy, and winding himself as he thumps down with the full weight of his body onto the ground. Trying to stop him jumping up is now written off as an impossible task, as he joyfully launches himself at fleeing victims, with all the force of a heat-seeking missile.
But what an absolute pleasure to have this silly, crazy dog now in our lives.
Meanwhile, the ever tolerant To Zhai – herself also a dog rescued from the notoriously hideous markets of southern China, now shared by vet Monica and I, and utterly gorgeous – watches on. She couldn't be more different than Muppet in almost every respect. From the word go, with a handful of biscuits and lots of encouraging words, she proved herself to be a perfectly trained dog. She'll happily sit in a second, walk nicely off lead, return as soon as she's called, and even turn back every few seconds just to make sure we are there. She also smiles – a silly grin that actually wrinkles her face, and shows her front teeth whenever she greets us, or when her ears are tickled or her tummy is scratched.
See the two of them together, and see two very best friends for life. Here is To Zhai with our China Cat and Dog Welfare Director, Irene, and Muppet with Simon.
Now they are impressing not only our staff, but visitors too. When Australian celebrity chef Simon Bryant came over to visit, together with our Director Anne Lloyd-Jones, both dogs charmed him out of the trees and inspired me to write a letter to our Australia supporters. (It’s coming soon.)
The plight of market dogs has long been close to Simon's heart and this trip was no exception as he joined us in witnessing the worst treatment of man's best friend. Using his passion and intelligence Simon is now back in Australia talking about his trip and encouraging people everywhere to support the rising number of groups and individuals in China who are now championing the change.
Just this week, news has exploded of another Chinese welfare group intercepting a truckload of meat dogs – just like the one that Muppet was rescued from – as it made its way to a live animal market in the south. Almost every month stories emerge of similar interceptions and rescues, with more and more members of the public challenging traditions of the past – and agreeing that our lives are happier and healthier as a result of sharing them with our four-legged friends.
With ambassadors like Simon – and, of course, Muppet and To Zhai – together with millions of animal lovers in China, our campaign will go on until dogs and cats are rightly accepted as our friends...and not food.
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Last week, Susan from our China office flew over to Korea to join the Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA) to launch an exciting initiative aimed at Korean tourists travelling to China.
Many bear farmers in China are specifically targeting visitors from Korea and persuading them to buy bear bile for illegal export back home - and often the tourists have no idea how cruelly the bears are treated, or how unsafe the bear bile is. Now KAWA and Animals Asia have teamed up with travel agents who will inform their clients about the reality of this hideous industry.
My dear friend, and Patron of Animals Asia UK, Born Free Founder Virginia McKenna is also enthusiastically endorsing this campaign and kindly sent these words of support:
"It is enormously encouraging to learn that Animals Asia and the Korean Animal Welfare Association have launched a vigorous public awareness campaign regarding the importation of bear bile into South Korea. No one who has witnessed the tortured lives of the ‘moon bears’ could possibly wish to prolong their wretchedness by buying the bile. The health problems the bile is believed to address can be dealt with perfectly well by other means.
I have been to so-called bear ‘farms’ and so I write from my personal and unforgettably ghastly experience. I have also visited Animal Asia’s sanctuaries in China and Vietnam. From there, I treasure wonderful and uplifting memories.
Bear ‘farms’ should never be a tourist attraction unless you wish to shock and shame people. I applaud all travel companies who take a stand on this issue and who will never include these places on their tourist itinerary. Bears are wild animals and deserve to live in a natural environment as nature intended.
I wish everyone involved in this campaign the success they, and the bears, deserve."
- Virginia McKenna OBE, UK Patron Animals Asia
May this campaign have the desired effect so that caring tourists from Korea join the growing number of people in China who are standing up against bear farming and refusing to buy or consume bile.
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As athletes everywhere limber up for a very special event in the UK, our own sporty bears are taking exercise in their stride as they work out in China and Vietnam.
Thanks to you, they can limber up in the enclosures on equipment that keeps them fit, healthy and happy, as they charge around a veritable stadium of their own.
Check out our new video of the cubs, and see how your help sees them and the adults competing with the best, and going for gold.
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It is with indescribable sadness, to learn the tragic news that Sabrina Yeap passed away on the 17th July 2012.
Sabrina died as a result of leukemia, an illness that she did not know she had until days before her death. Sadly she was an orphan with no family, but her friends, Salehin and Myza, were by her side when she passed.
Sabrina was well known to those in the animal welfare community as the founder of Furry Friends Farm - a rescue centre for stray dogs in Malaysia - and the Coordinator of our Dr Dog animal therapy programme, which she began in June 2007.
Sabrina's vision with Dr Dog was to focus on the mixed-breed dogs who could give their unconditional love to a community that had abused or neglected them or their kin in the past. The stories of her success were legendary - with patients in homes for the disadvantaged gradually accepting, and then looking forward, to the unique and friendly dogs that Sabrina brought into their lives.
Over time, Sabrina and her team, which included long-time examiner and help, Salehin, intelligently and compassionately steered Dr Dog into a programme that saw the image of dogs gradually being enhanced and celebrated at last.
Today, nine canine ambassadors visit a variety of centres, including an autism centre complete with noisy and very enthusiastic children under the age of 10. As with every centre across Asia that embraces this programme, the children here react positively to the dogs and enjoy learning to stroke them in the correct and gentle way.
Over the years, Sabrina and her team also held successful charity drives in Selangor, and coordinated a very successful Walk for Harmony event too, where a couple of years ago they featured the birthday of a very special dog called Hope.
Hope had been rescued along with many other dogs by Sabrina and her team. His story began in May 2009 when he and hundreds of dogs were dumped on a deserted mangrove island by residents of Palau Ketam, who were sick of living their lives with apparently over 2,000 stray dogs, seeing their children attacked and bitten by the hungry animals, and angry with the government for not doing anything about it.
Their solution was to round up and catch 312 dogs and take them on a 25-minute journey by boat to the nearly deserted mangrove island - and dump them. Over the next few weeks as they struggled with the elements and were left to fend for themselves, half of the dogs died of starvation, or from being cannibilised by other starving dogs, or from drowning after trying to swim back to Palau Ketam.
Only a few were saved - Hope being one of the lucky ones...rescued by Sabrina, and taken by boat back to the mainland and to a vet who helped him pull through. Hope is now a Dr Dog and a perfect ambassador for his species.
Another of Sabrina's biggest successes was Jasper, who was a victim of a hit-and-run driver and was discovered under a car by some friends of Sabrina's who called and asked if she could help. Up until then, no-one had gone to his aid, or realised the extent of his injuries. Sabrina said he had a broken skull showing part of his brain - and, in spite of his terrible of pain, she said that he wagged his tail, as if he knew that help had finally arrived.
Sabrina took Jasper to the vet and over the next few weeks with multiple surgeries and procedures Jasper slowly began to recover - a real miracle dog.
Jasper's story then spurred Sabrina to do something about the countless number of traffic accidents that involve dogs and cats and, on World Animal Day, she sent out a media release calling for animal crossing signs saying; "Beware! Slow down! Cats and dogs crossing", to be put up at strategic places along the roads.
Today, as we say goodbye to a remarkable woman, we also remember her friends and colleagues who will form a new committee to determine how best to continue her tireless work. Kind Salehin has expressed interest in helping to continue on with Sabrina’s duties, specifically in terms of the Dr Dog Programme, and volunteers continue to help at the farm where donations and food are currently being organised for the immediate future.
Sabrina's memorial service was held on the 18th July 2012 and her cremation, led by a procession of Dr Dogs, will be Friday 20th of July. Her ashes will be spread on the Melaka Straits as per her wishes.
From all in the team of Animals Asia, we remember Sabrina as someone beautiful of face and heart, a true heroine who selflessly helped animals and people alike, and championing a lasting legacy of compassion and respect for all creatures great and small.
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At a public event in Shanghai for the animated blockbuster “Ice Age 4”, the theme throughout the event was "Love and Adventure".
Chinese celebrity superstar, Sun Li, was the guest of honour and, of course, as she has been to our bear rescue centre in Chengdu many times, spoke about her love and adventure in helping China's endangered moon bears.
Sun Li said:
“I was a little afraid because I didn't know how to communicate with the bears at the beginning. Then the staff told me that I should open my heart with love. I want to share my view with all of you that the earth belongs to every living being – and we should share the love with each other, and give our love to the bears”.
Sun Li also asked the public to join her on this adventure – and so the ripple of publicity calling for the end of bear farming goes on.
As an old friend of Sun Li, Lucky, our China PR and Education Manager was also invited to the event and told the audience that Animals Asia staff were on an adventure of their own each and every day, because there are always new challenges. Lucky said: “It brings us confidence and satisfaction when we see the bears starting their new life, instead of suffering so much pain.”
She also praised the growing mass of people supporting an end to bear farming, and said a huge thank you to Sun LI as a perfect example of a celebrity with such a strong social responsibility.
When I see such touching events like this I wonder how the bear farmers feel, knowing, as we know too, how much their bears are suffering behind closed doors. One day, as a result of people in China continuing to take such a strong stand against this truly horrible industry, the farms will be empty at last.
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