As Heidi said, "the bird was fluttering about the log pile whilst the team and I enriched the enclosure. It could definitely fly because as I approached, it flew out of the enclosure. We let the bears out to forage and no sooner were they out there did the little bird fly straight in and perch on Mutzi's back. Mutzi seemed completely none-the-wiser and went on her way gobbling up whatever treats she could find. The funny thing was, as she moved about, the bird would flutter about to continually reposition itself in the thick fur near her shoulder blades. The team watched the bird do this for a good 30 minutes or so before it flew away again. I guess it was nice and warm there."
Vicki took the pics.... and here, quite remarkably, perhaps the first documented pictures of a bird trying to nest in a bear.
| Share this article with your friends | Donate to rescue appeal now |
Just recently our China team held our fourth summer camp in Chengdu where people from across the country joined in various activities, over two and a half days, promoting animal welfare. In a combination of hands on activities and classroom techniques, the time on site saw them all fired up to spread the message of pro-active help for animals once they returned home. You can read more about the camp here.
Huge congratulations to the whole team who have, once again, mobilised another group of enthusiastic welfarists, changing hearts and minds of generations to come.
| Share this article with your friends | Donate to rescue appeal now |
Our staff across the world are simply second to none. Their work becomes their life and every one becomes a front line ambassador to give a voice to the animals who so desperately need us.
Wen Yan, our Veterinary Support Manager in Chengdu is leaving us for a little while very soon, to have her baby. In China, as in other countries across the world, there is much confusion about whether pregnant women should even be in the same house as cats – let alone have them close by.
Wen Yan is a purrfect (sorry couldn't resist that) example of a caring mum to be who has done all the research and knows that proper care of our four-legged friends, and proper cleanliness of their bowls and litter trays, is all that is needed for a harmonious existence during pregnancy and when the baby is born.
Here to show off her love and practical intelligence is our gorgeous Wen Yan with her beloved “daughters” Pijiu and Peijiu at our bear rescue centre, and her black and white puss, Pidan, lying on Wen Yan's (soon to be) new family member at home.
Our love and best wishes to Wen Yan and husband Super, for the safe and happy arrival of their new baby – undoubtedly another ambassador for the animals of China.
| Share this article with your friends | Donate to rescue appeal now |
He is willful, naughty and a master at pretending to be deaf. He ignores all attempts at positive reinforcement during training, he professes not to have a clue how to sit, and finds fiendish pleasure in going over, under, or through any door that has the audacity of attempting to hold him in. Leave him for a short while – whether to attend a meeting, or catch up on some bear related business – and his soulful cries can be heard at least halfway around the sanctuary.
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.
| Share this article with your friends | Donate to rescue appeal now |
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.
| Share this article with your friends | Donate to rescue appeal now |
Next Previous
