Well he's not the most handsome bear in our family, but what Leon misses in looks, he more than makes up for in charisma! A gangly, fun-loving bear who has been with us in China for years, Leon's immune system had literally crashed during his terrible years on a bile farm.
JILL'S BLOG
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Oh,this gorgeous black dog. For those of you enquiring how To Zhai (Rabbit) is doing – she is giving us a merry dance, that's for sure! Frustratingly, she is still in quarantine (well away from the bears and other dogs) after getting "the snuffles" at around Day 25 of keeping her isolated – which couldn't be more unfair.
It began with a journalist in Yunnan Province who was so incensed to see that a bear farm was applying to be listed on a stock exchange that he began posting messages on Sina Weibo (the Chinese version of Twitter) — and it all went from there.
To friends and supporters – a smile for Valentine’s Day in the form of our black/brown hybrid bear – gorgeous Emma.
It’s always the eyes — and those belonging to this little guy just stared and stared hypnotically into ours, begging to be released from the cage and taken far, far away from this terrible place.
Taiji dolphin slaughter 2011: The carnage continues and on 18th January we received a message regarding Leah Lemieux and a team of Japanese activists who filmed the slaughter of over 40 beautiful striped dolphins in Taiji that day. Although those killing the dolphins had erected tarpaulin around the area in an attempt to cover up their carnage, the tarp slipped at one point, allowing Leah to film.
Just this week we've seen the snow coming down in Chengdu - and what is it that the bears enjoy outside in their enclosures as they brave the elements? None other than ice lollies!
Our gorgeous blind bear Mityan is sponsored by Bev Hellyer and our support group in Queensland, Australia, where they are now suffering themselves in the floods hitting their region. In a bid to help Bev and our friends there smile I had wandered over to House 8 to grab a picture of their bear and came across the most beautiful scene of Mityan gently playing with Wilfred, also blind, in the grass.
I sometimes wonder if we spoil these bears a little too much. A description by China bear manager James in last week's report made me stop ..... and laugh out loud. John, our resident macaque, is clearly enjoying his dining experience in this pic snapped by fellow bear manager Charlie.
This week, HSI (Humane Society International) put out a press release after rallying the support of over 40 groups in China, which we have also joined in deploring the import of seal meat into China. This release follows a trip to Beijing by Canadian Fisheries Minister Gail Shea, who signed a cooperative arrangement with Chinese officials that she said would give Canada’s sealing industry access to the world’s largest consumer market.
Jill's Bio
Jill founded Animals Asia in 1998, after an encounter with a caged bear on a farm in China changed her life forever. She now heads a team of over 300 enthusiastic staff and divides her time between our bear rescue centres in China and Vietnam and our Hong Kong head office. She travels extensively to participate in conferences and speak at fundraising events.
Read more here.
