One such woman is Ali MacGraw, who with Ryan O'Neal starred in the 1970s film, “Love Story”, which is considered to be the most romantic film of all time.
“Love Story” was apparently super popular in Saigon, Vietnam too (with the immortal words "Love means never having to say you're sorry" passing in to common Vietnam usage today!) and so it was no surprise to see the media flooding around Ali as she walked around our sanctuary in Tam Dao National Park, Hanoi, and said a warm hello to the bears and staff.
It's true to say that to a man, woman and bear, we all fell in love with this extraordinary woman. Yes she was using her international celebrity to help reverse a decision to evict us from site but, most importantly, she was using her compassion and intelligence too and spent hours with the media asking that the Prime Minister search his heart and allow us to stay.
What could we possibly give such an icon, a genuinely warm and sincere bear ambassador, to express our love and thanks for an exhaustive schedule that saw gruelling flights from the US and just a quick couple of nights in Vietnam with back to back interviews and filming?
Really there was only one "gift" and not surprisingly, Ali was thrilled to be named the new "mum" of one of our rescued bears, previously nicknamed Horatio, and now with the very grand name of Milagro Horatio given by Ali herself.
The film of Ali and her visit is now up on our website and doing the rounds everywhere on the social networks, hopefully working its magic and convincing the head of this beautiful country of Vietnam to do the right thing.
Please click here to see the video and the read all about the visit and Ali who, more than once, did indeed (albeit a little tongue in cheek) mutter those immortal lines "Love means never having to say you're sorry", while those of us lucky enough to meet this extraordinary woman could only feel sorry to see her go.
Until the next time dear Ali, our love and endless thanks from a little place of peace and a community determined to fight the eviction and stay.
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With so much violence and sadness in the world, I think the whole Animals Asia team is thankful that we can look at our rescued bears with gratitude for always making us smile through even the darkest days.
Their forgiveness of the past and their relentless enthusiasm in enjoying every second of their new lives at our sanctuaries in China and Vietnam gives us confidence and inspiration to continue fighting until the very last farm has closed. Certainly the support of you and so many people across the world shows that our "End Bear Bile Farming" campaign is on the right track, and that our strategy, patience and determination are finally winning through.
While we continue to fight the eviction in Vietnam, this month we have heard in China that, because of the growing disgust of the public everywhere, the subject of bear farming is one of the "top 10 hot issues" of 2012. Every scene of a bear farm showing the caged and mutilated victims, and every contrasting image of our rescued bears playing in joyous groups within their grassy enclosures, brings home to the people of China and Vietnam how cruel and shameful the industry really is.
This is the time to be brave and to recognise that we are now the enemy of a great many people who profit from the cruel exploitation of this endangered species, and to recognise too that it is because we are the enemy that we now have the chance to win. Thank you for patiently staying with us through good times and bad, and for helping us to attack the industry even more relentlessly as we face a year which will see us spending even more time, more funds, and more energy in bringing bear farming to its knees.
Surprisingly, in between the fighting, we've had some fun too – and no more than in recent days giving the bears their annual Christmas treat and laying out mince pies in the enclosures for them all to enjoy. It has to be said that some are a little more enthusiastic than others and hoover down as many as they can find, without considering that they're eating more than their fair share.
Consequently we see our beautiful bear Bottom tucking in to her third treat in Chengdu in a video kindly taken by Vet Monica's cousins Raelee and Andy and, in the pictures that follow in Vietnam, greedy Moggie victoriously scoffing no less than five! Watch the video here.
One memorable picture has to be our little macaque Xiao Xiong Xiong in China who literally squealed in delight as he found and unwrapped the box and then quickly stuffed the whole pie into rapidly bulging cheeks, as his more dominant enclosure mate, John, came over to check what he'd found.
After finishing his treat, Xiao Xiong Xiong then watched a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer cartoon (shown by Sofie from her iPad) while adult John apparently enjoyed a documentary about Japanese macaques as his enrichment (grin).
Back in Vietnam there was little cub Joey ripping open both his and cub Ricky's Christmas boxes and gleefully chowing down on all their contents while Ricky looked on. Watch the video here.
And in China our two latest rescued juvenile bears Rudolph and Holly now in straw-lined quarantine cages and enjoying their first ever mince pies being offered by Tao, Monica and Nic.
So with bear hugs, blessings and endless thanks to you all as we come to the end of another year. My thanks not only to you but to our tireless, passionate and ever incredible staff across the globe who make me prouder and more confident each day that this is a war we will win. Together, we wish you all a beary merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and very peaceful New Year.
China sanctuary
Vietnam sanctuary
Hong Kong headquarters
Team UK - Kay, Sue, Gill and Adam, Fiona, Nicky, and sitting, Lara and Emily
Team USA - Maya, Alice, Morgan, Jada, Ray/Rainbow (Julie and Sadie)
Team Germany - Sunila, Christa, Christine
Team Italy - Irene, Guilia and Antonello
Team Australia - who cheated a little by using the pic from when we were all together for the roadshow in June! Kerri, Anne, Jude, Leanne and me.
China Cat and Dog Welfare team - Irene, Gina, Suki, Jessica, Rachel, Jenny, Yan, Carrot, Cherry
The last image is a festive but meaningful card created by Star in Chengdu who will sadly be leaving us at the end of the year, but who has used her indescribable talent to say in pictures what we all wish for 2013.
With love from us all, Jill
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Talk about being late for the party... but fabulous to arrive on site in Chengdu on Friday and come face to face with our two newly rescued moon bears settling nicely into their new home. There they were — bear numbers S278 and S279, sitting cosily on straw in their recovery cages, food bowls laden with fresh fruit and veg, and peering out cautiously at their new family.
We had been advised that they were just under two years of age and both look in pretty good condition, with nice healthy bodies, black shiny fur, and each weighing perhaps somewhere between 70-80kgs.
Thanks to the Sichuan Forestry Department and to our External Affairs Director Toby for the organisation and planning, both bears had come four hours by road, and had been confiscated from rural farmers who had found them as cubs in Yibin county nearly two years ago. Apparently it had taken some time to persuade the farmers to give up the bears, and we also heard rumours that bear bile farmers had wanted to buy them too.
While we normally offer compensation for previously farmed bears, Sichuan Forestry decided that no compensation would be given in this case, as the bears had originally been taken from the mountains in the wild.
Nic, our Vet and Bear Team Director, advised that the rescue went super-smoothly, and the bears are doing well, with both becoming nicely accustomed to melon and strawberry sauce.
A huge thank you to everyone involved - notably those on the ground, Nic, Boris, Lucky, Richard and their teams, Monica, Jo, Wendy, Vicki, Sofie and Heidi and the rescue team including: 甄金川 Zhen Jinchuan, 徐开川 Xu Kaichuan, 李凡 Li Fan,
李飞 Li Fei, 吴利达 Wu Lida, 地兵尔色 Dibing Erse, 薛志成 Xue Zhicheng,
王善海 Howard, 艾朝军 Ai Chaojun and 石学良 Rocky.
Grateful thanks too to Star 杨梦椒, Susan Zhang 张玉姝, Xin 培鑫 from our Animal Welfare Department and our intern Haiyan 谭海燕, who worked so hard in taking the pictures and film for live broadcasts for Weibo.
Stop press Wednesday 12th December — both bears are settling in well — loving special treats such as ice blocks and bamboo toys, and making bear-sized nests in their recovery cages with mounds of sweet smelling straw and browse. Nic, Tao, Xiao Yong and I have just enjoyed watching them tucking into today's enrichment, slowly realising that things are pretty good here in their new and forever home.
Naturally, as they have arrived in time for Christmas, and with much discussion to and fro, their nicknames are reflecting the festive season.
Please join me in congratulating team Chengdu once again, and a very warm welcome to the Animals Asia family............ to Rudolph and Holly.
Watch video of their arrival here: Christmas arrival for China bears
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This is such a sad blog to post – saying a last goodbye to Rae Joy who sadly passed away this week. This message was sent to the entire Animals Asia family of current and past staff and volunteers, with our love and condolences to Rae's family and all who knew her. Rest in peace Rae. xxx
Dear everyone,
I think by now that many of you know that Rae, our vet nurse and friend in Vietnam, had been sick during her time on site and returned home to Perth, Australia to receive some specialised care. At that time, events tragically unfolded as she was diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, which was affecting her heart and causing it to fail. Following a bone marrow biopsy, multiple myeoloma was diagnosed too. After a short time on chemotherapy Rae elected to stop this and other treatment as she was finding it all too much, and sent a message to friends across the world in preparation for a day she knew was not too far away.
Sadly that day was this morning at 05.30am Perth time and we were advised by her friend Cree that Rae had passed peacefully away in her sleep.
While the news was expected, when it comes, it is unbelievably sad. Rae was a remarkable woman – superbly loving and professional with all the animals that came her way, and always willing to do whatever it took to make them happy and well. Rae adored the bears especially and when she wasn’t nursing or working with them, she was talking about them wherever she was – whether it was in emails, over dinner in Tam Dao, or during the times she helped our Australia team at events.
Just this past week Rae agreed that one of our bears in Tam Dao, "Song Long", pictured here, should now have the name "Rae" – and we have heard from her friends in Perth just how much this had meant to her in the last few days of her life. Rae bear will always remind us of someone so special whose life touched us all.
Annemarie, our Bear and Vet Team Director sent a message from the team in Tam Dao: “We are devastated by the loss of Rae. It is hard to comprehend that someone who still had so much to give in life could not be with us any longer.
It was a dream come true for Rae to join our team and she has changed the lives of so many bears, cats and dogs whilst working with us. We will always remember her passion for animal welfare and the joy she had from watching the bears enjoy their lives to the fullest after they had been rescued. We will miss her dearly.”
Our sincere condolences to Rae’s family. She will always be here in our hearts, and long may we see a rae of sunshine breaking through the clouds in Tam Dao.
The final words are from Rae when she wrote one of her last messages to all at Animals Asia:
Please keep on making a difference to the world – you’re a wonderful bunch
Love Rae
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Seeing dogs and children taking part in our events in China is always guaranteed to be chaotic but full of happiness. Our recent Shenzhen World Animal Day celebration was no exception as the room was filled with barks and squeals of delight, together with lots of bright flashes as the media covered the fun.
One special man - Chen Junliang who is quite a celebrity in Shenzhen - came along to sing during the event. Junliang is blind and works for the Shenzhen Luohu District Disabled Persons Federation as a psychological health care teacher. He chose a song "You are my eyes", dedicated to a dog he calls his "brother", named Xiao Q and had the whole audience moved with his words and his beautiful voice.
Junliang's mother had raised Xiao Q from a puppy, training him to be a guide dog for the blind and planning to sell him to the Guide Dog Training Centre once training was complete. However, a year later they all decided that they couldn't bear to be separated from Xiao Q and decided to keep him, He now guides Junliang from his home to the office and the two of them are now inseparable as a result of their mutual trust and friendship. Xiao Qu has also recently passed our Dr Dog exam which means that he is spreading more love and respect as a community dog in Shenzhen.
Another Dr Dog owner, Carol, has a dog called Coffee who she often calls "Chairman" for fun. On the day of our event she was touched to see an abandoned child - a burns victim with badly scalded skin and missing fingers who was gently holding and kissing Coffee and enjoying being offered Coffee's affectionate love in return. Carol commented on her microblog that "Dogs are so special. They are born to be loved by so many people - I am wiling to be the slave of dogs".
Such moments are irreplaceable and help us to know that Dr Dog continues to spread warmth and healing as the programme goes on.
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