The Jungle Book AAF Gala
The Jungle Book in aid of Animals Asia Foundation.
The Birmingham Stage Company is proud to present Rudyard Kipling's classic story about Mowgli, a young boy who is raised in the jungle by a family of wolves. When Shere Khan the tiger swears to kill the child, Baloo and Bagheera agree to take the boy to the man village for his safety. But the jungle holds dangers and surprises for them all - and Mowgli's extraordinary adventure has just begun!
Tickets: £20, concessions £15, family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) £60.
Call 020 7388 8822 to book family tickets.
Read on for more information about the AAF's work.
Bear Bile Farming
Asiatic black bears, known as moon bears because of the beautiful golden crescents on their chests, have been killed for their bile for use in traditional medicine for thousands of years. However, in the late 1980s, enterprising businessmen realised they could make far more money by caging the bears and milking them for their bile.
Today, across China and Vietnam, more than 11,000 intelligent moon bears are trapped on brutal farms – sometimes for up to 25 years. In China their cages are no bigger than their own bodies. These bears have no free access to water and are deliberately denied adequate food – a hungry bear produces more bile.
The bile extraction process causes the bears unimaginable agony. In China, the bile is removed through rusting metal catheters that are implanted deep into their gall bladders, or via permanently open, infected holes in their abdomens through which the bile weeps (the so-called "humane" free-drip technique). In Vietnam, the bears are anaesthetised with ketanine and the bile is extracted via unsanitary 4-inch needles. The pain is excruciating. Sadly, moon bears are such stoic animals that they are able to endure this treatment for many years.
Moon bears are listed under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (SITES) – the most critical category. There could be as few as 16,000 left in the wild. Although it is illegal to take moon bears from the wild in China, these bears are still killed for their gall bladders or caught in brutal leg-hold traps as new stock for the farms.
How the rescue began
Following her discovery of the horrific practice of bear farming in 1993, Animals Asia Founder and CEO Jill Robinson MBE began lobbying Chinese officials to bring an end to this cruel industry.
In July 2000, Animals Asia signed a landmark agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the Sichuan Forestry Department to free 500 suffering moon bears and bring them to their sanctuary in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. The authorities identify the worst farms for closure and Animals Asia compensates the farmers so they can continue to feed their families. The Sichuan government takes away the farmers’ licences and passes them to Animals Asia. Countrywide, no new bear farm licences will be issued. This historic agreement was the first accord between the Chinese Government and any outside animal welfare organisation.
While bear farming has been illegal in Vietnam since 1992, the practice is still widespread and around 4,000 bears remain trapped on bile farms. Animals Asia has been negotiating with the Vietnamese government on the issue since 1999. In 2005, the Vietnamese authorities promised to phase out bear bile farming and, in 2006, Animals Asia signed an agreement with the government there to rescue 200 bears.
Over 255 bears rescued so far
Since October 2000, over 245 bears have been released into Animals Asia’s care at the rescue centre in Sichuan. Their new Vietnam Moon Bear Rescue Centre at Tam Dao, near Hanoi, has so far taken in 10 moon bears confiscated from smugglers and will eventually be home to 200 farmed bears.
The bears arrive in the most shocking condition – bone-thin, desperately ill and terrified. Many are suffering from crippling ailments, such as arthritis, peritonitis, weeping ulcers, ingrown claws and broken teeth from years of biting the bars of their cages. A third are missing limbs and all are in a state of severe psychological trauma.
Amazingly, after months of health care, extensive surgery and tender, loving care, nearly all the bears are able to put the horrors of their past behind them, learning to walk, run, swim, climb and interact with the other rescued bears.
But for some, help arrives too late. Despite the best efforts of our veterinary team, around 27% of the bears are euthanised or die prematurely in the years following their rescue.
Recovery and a new home
The ongoing rehabilitation of the bears takes many months – physiotherapy with sweet fruit treats encourages them to stretch and climb, strengthening wasted muscles and building confidence.
Sadly these bears cannot be released into the wild; many are disabled, others were bred in captivity or snared as cubs and so have no vital survival skills. Each of the bears has a home with Animals Asia for life – which could be as much as 30 years.
Bile entirely unnecessary
Today, many traditional medicine doctors agree that bear bile can easily be replaced with herbs – in fact, there are 54 herbal alternatives. The prized ingredient in bear bile, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), can also be synthesised easily under laboratory conditions Both herbal and synthetic options are readily available and far cheaper than bear bile.
Consumer health concerns
There is clearly a link between bile extraction and the high incidence of liver cancer in moon bears. Captive bears, such as those kept in zoos, are very rarely diagnosed with liver cancer unless they are old. Animals Asia is finding liver cancer in very young rescued bears.
Therefore the question has to be asked: "What is the bile taken from such shockingly ill bears doing to the health of humans who consume it?". The bears’ livers and gall bladders are often severely diseased, the bile contaminated with pus, blood, tissue and even faeces.
A number of traditional doctors have come out against bile farming and TCM outlets in China have embraced the Animals Asia sticker campaign "We don't sell bear bile".
Education is the key
Promoting change through education is the central theme at the Animals Asia sanctuaries in China and Vietnam and the media and education programmes within China are now seeing unprecedented support from the public, celebrities, schools and local authorities. A similar education campaign is due to start shortly in Vietnam.
For further information on the work of Animals Asia or to donate to the Moon Bear Rescue campaign, please visit www.animalsasia.org or phone 01579 347148.
