Please read the update below from a fellow racer, who was not only impressed by the skill of Boyd's racing, but also by the charity he proudly represented on the day.
Thank you Boyd for bringing the plight of the animals of Asia to the attention of thousands of potential new supporters to the cause.
"During the second week of August the second 2012 Tianma Lunjia race festival took place at Tianma Lunjia race track close to Shanghai, China. A race festival comprising of official bike and car races in several classes of competition for talented amateurs.
In the 1.3liter engine car competition, the ASR cup was a separate class. The ASR cup exists of Geely Panda’s that are equally tuned, making it always a close and sensational race. One of the cars bears the name, colors and logo’s of the Animals Asia Foundation – a real eye catcher for the public as it is not so common to have logos from charitable foundations on sports cars.
Boyd Mulder, a rookie race enthusiast and employee at Philips Electronics, decided that his car colors and livery should be something he believes in, bringing a message to the China audience, rather than representing an actual sponsor or his own company.
Finishing a good second in his class and with a podium stage in his first official race, the exposure had several people and co-drivers asking Boyd for the meaning of Animals Asia. Besides loving the colors and livery, people really were impressed by such a good cause and admired the work being done by AAF in China.
We hope to see many more podium places for Boyd with increasing exposure of the AAF branding and such a good cause in the near future!"
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Life is never dull at our sanctuary in Chengdu - and just recently female bear Mutzi caused quite a stir when a bird decided to nestle in her fur. Heidi, our Bear Manager, and the team saw the bird in the enclosure and watched as it made a beeline for a bear.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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