When Animals Asia established its first bear rescue centre in China in the year 2000, it's hard to imagine the nervousness of founder Jill Robinson and her team. Because only bears can show you if a bear sanctuary is fit for purpose.
Animals in adverts and even in stores have become increasingly prevalent in China as outlets opt to use our furry friends as a sales gimmick. However, one Chinese mall is determined to buck the trend – agreeing that animals should be in the wild, not in TV studios or shops.
In the first of a six-part series, Animals Asia’s Animal Welfare Director Dave Neale discusses how humans assign value to animals.
Rescuers, turned away on a first attempt to save a moon bear, returned to finish the job and finally bring beautiful Honey home.
Moon bear Mara has grown up at our Vietnam sanctuary having arrived in 2007 as a cub. She knows all the best toys and where the best treats are hidden - and best of all, she has never known the horror of a bear bile farm.
In 2005, the numbers of bears Vietnamese bile farms was increasing. To close down farms, the bears needed a place to go - somewhere safe, somewhere with people to care for them. But no such place existed.
Ti Map, the moon bear who famously smiled in wonder following his rescue from a bile farm, is slowly putting his past behind him but it’s proving to be a long road to recovery.
Animal rights luminary Zoe Weil writes exclusively for Animals Asia on how we can learn to have a more healthy relationship with the world around us for the benefit of all living beings and a brighter tomorrow.