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I haven't been on the boards for about 6 months, so I thought I'd post in my favourite section about the animal welfare volunteer work I did this year.
In July-October I went to Sichuan province, China, to be a veterinary nurse volunteer at the Animals Asia Foundation Moon Bear Rescue Centre. It is amazing - around 169 bears who have been rescued from bear bile farms now live there. After they first arrive they are given a thorough health check and their catheter (which is implanted in their gall bladders, through which the farmers formerly milked them of bile) is surgically removed. The bears on-site live the rest of their days in peace and have big grassed enclosures with lots of climbing equipment, pools and other enrichment. Animals Asia have made an agreement with the Sichuan authorities to rescue at least 500 bears from bear bile farms, and they are simultaneously working on campaigns to discourage the use of bear bile (used in traditional Chinese medicine) with the support of many Chinese doctors who are now recommending cheaper, more effective, herbal alternatives.
It is a wonderful sanctuary and Jill Robinson, who set it up, is an inspiration. She visited China back in the 90's and stumbled upon a bear farm, and was horrified by what she saw there. Bears living in absolute misery and pain in tiny cages, starving to death and insane with fear. I admire Jill so much because she knew she just couldn't walk away - shortly afterwards she set up Animals Asia and has worked non-stop to close down the bear bile farming industry.
Seeing all the bears who had come from these horrific situations playing and looking really healthy and happy was a wonderful experience. Sadly though many of them don't make it and die after arriving at the sanctuary. A bear I became particularly attached to died of liver cancer recently, caused by years of being drained of bile through a large catheter. She was the most gentle, lovely creature you could imagine - very forgiving of humans too and particularly fond of them, despite what other questionable human beings had done to her for many years.
After my time there, I went to Cambodia and volunteered for Free the Bears Fund, who have enclosures for sun bears in a large wildlife sanctuary in Phnom Penh. All of these bears have been rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.
Now i'm home and back to reality - looking for jobs! Hope everyone is well and I'm glad to be back on the boards
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Susannah
In July-October I went to Sichuan province, China, to be a veterinary nurse volunteer at the Animals Asia Foundation Moon Bear Rescue Centre. It is amazing - around 169 bears who have been rescued from bear bile farms now live there. After they first arrive they are given a thorough health check and their catheter (which is implanted in their gall bladders, through which the farmers formerly milked them of bile) is surgically removed. The bears on-site live the rest of their days in peace and have big grassed enclosures with lots of climbing equipment, pools and other enrichment. Animals Asia have made an agreement with the Sichuan authorities to rescue at least 500 bears from bear bile farms, and they are simultaneously working on campaigns to discourage the use of bear bile (used in traditional Chinese medicine) with the support of many Chinese doctors who are now recommending cheaper, more effective, herbal alternatives.
It is a wonderful sanctuary and Jill Robinson, who set it up, is an inspiration. She visited China back in the 90's and stumbled upon a bear farm, and was horrified by what she saw there. Bears living in absolute misery and pain in tiny cages, starving to death and insane with fear. I admire Jill so much because she knew she just couldn't walk away - shortly afterwards she set up Animals Asia and has worked non-stop to close down the bear bile farming industry.
Seeing all the bears who had come from these horrific situations playing and looking really healthy and happy was a wonderful experience. Sadly though many of them don't make it and die after arriving at the sanctuary. A bear I became particularly attached to died of liver cancer recently, caused by years of being drained of bile through a large catheter. She was the most gentle, lovely creature you could imagine - very forgiving of humans too and particularly fond of them, despite what other questionable human beings had done to her for many years.
After my time there, I went to Cambodia and volunteered for Free the Bears Fund, who have enclosures for sun bears in a large wildlife sanctuary in Phnom Penh. All of these bears have been rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.
Now i'm home and back to reality - looking for jobs! Hope everyone is well and I'm glad to be back on the boards
Susannah
