Just for once, a post which is full of nothing but good; progressive news for animals !!
It is not possible to give a direct link to all the excellent news we have had through from CEO Jill and all the crew in the March members newsletter at ‘Animals Asia UK'; so in the following we have selected some of the key issues and campaign news for you to enjoy.
We hope that you feel as we do; that now, finally in the Far East, animals are starting to get the recognition and compassion that they deserve. This is due to the endless hard work of many organisations and people who all pull together to try and make things better for the animals – and they are succeeding !
But firstly we kick off with some news of an event which is to be held along the road in good ol’ London town on 18th April – at the ‘Human Rights Action Centre’; 17-25 New Inn Yard.
The London Animal Charities Fair.
Groups and Organisations Confirmed so far:
Hounds First Sighthound Rescue
Greek Animal Rescue
Save Me Trust & Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue
Animal Welfare Party
Wild Futures
Help In Suffering (UK)
Lovesniffys
Baan Unrak Thai Animal Sanctuary
RSPCA CENTRAL AND NORTH EAST LONDON BRANCH
The London Wildlife Trust
SPEC
The Mayhew Animal Home
London League Against Cruel Sports Group
Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary
Animal Aid
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Captive Animals’ Protection Society
All Dogs Matter
Cruelty Free International
SEA SHEPHERD UK
RSPB
The Pig Issue Foundation
F.R.I.E.N.D animal rescue
Nowzad Dogs
Doris Banham Dog Rescue
Animal Interfaith Alliance
Wood Green, The Animals Charity.
And following is the wonderful news regarding different issues which our friends at Animals Asia are involved with.
The brilliant English animal rights campaigner and ex keyboard frontman with legendary Band ‘Yes’ from the 70’s – Rick Wakeman – see him play awesome keyboards below;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05k8DgEXZXM
Rick today 2015
Rick is going to play in a special night called ‘A Journey to Freedom’. Read more about it as follows:
Rick Wakeman to perform at A Journey to Freedom in June
Please join us (Animals Asia) for a memorable musical night and dinner, A Journey to Freedom, hosted by our UK ambassadors Peter Egan and Lesley Nicol. Rick Wakeman, keyboard legend, globally recognised as part of the rock band Yes in the 1970s, will be playing for us on the evening, assisted by members of Downton Abbey’s cast (subject to availability).
The event takes place on 6.45pm Friday, 26 June at Plaisterers’ Hall, One London Wall, London EC2Y. Tickets cost £120 (includes a drinks reception, a half bottle of wine and a three-course vegetarian dinner). Please book your tickets today on 01579 347148.
Reception in UK Parliament’s House of Commons for campaigners to end the dog meat trade in Asia
On 28 January, campaigners for dog and cat welfare across Asia gathered at a reception at the House of Commons to promote greater awareness and Parliamentary support for their work to bring an end to the dog meat trade.
Animals Asia was represented as part of the Asia Canine Protection Alliance (ACPA). Guests were addressed by our UK AA ambassador, actor Peter Egan, and shown the moving film created by Soi Dogs on the realities of the dog meat trade in Thailand, which deeply shocked all who saw it.
The event was attended by Dame Judi Dench and several members of Parliament. The successful outcome of the meeting has been a pledge to hold a full Parliamentary debate on the issue in the near future, and to encourage and work more closely with political contacts in Asian countries working to end the dog meat trade.
Vietnam PM says NO to cruel festivals
In a direct response to our (AA) campaign to stop Vietnam’s pig slaughter festival – Vietnam’s Prime Minister has announced “old fashioned, superstitious and negative” festivals will end.
And it’s all thanks to your support!
The speech is widely seen as a direct reference to Animals Asia’s international campaign opposing the Nem Thuong pig slaughter festival which gathered thousands of signatures from around the world.
With the eyes of the world on Vietnam, the village of Nem Thuong continued with their bloody and superstitious event in full defiance of the will of the Vietnamese people and authorities, 79% of whom had voiced their opposition to the cruel festival.
While we will have to wait for news of changes to festivals – the Prime Minister’s will is clear and we will push for that to become definitive action.
Following the Prime Minister’s speech, the Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism, Hoang Tuan Anh echoed his statements and many of the arguments Animals Asia has raised over the past two months, saying:
“The ministry has decided that negative activities such as buffalo stabbing and pig chopping…in festivals will be reviewed.
“In a country rich in tradition and culture, we cannot have the image of a pig being brought to a village centre for hundreds of people to witness its head being cut off and its blood pouring out – this is not suitable with a peaceful and hospitable country like Vietnam.”
Animals Asia’s Vietnam Director, Tuan Bendixsen said:
“This is an enormously positive move from the highest levels of Vietnamese governance. It shows that the country is listening and reacting to the will of the people who were near unanimous in their condemnation of festivals like Nem Thuong.
“Now we must continue to monitor the situation to ensure that animals are protected from cruelty. Our work will go on behind the scenes to ensure the Prime Minister’s directive is enforced so that the barbaric scenes of this year are not repeated in the next.”
Animals Asia founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said:
“It never ceases to amaze what can be achieved when we come together. Our supporters around the world should be very proud today. From the smallest of individual actions, multiplied to a factor of thousands, to the tireless efforts of individuals on the ground we have achieved real change and have every chance of ending cruel festivals in Vietnam.
“This is about more than one animal. It is about what is acceptable in modern society. A pig died this year in tragic, awful, cruel circumstances, but in the discussion surrounding it – new impetus was given to Vietnam’s growing animal welfare movement.”
Moon bear’s recovery is fruit of compassion
Rescued moon bear Nhan Ai finally completed her long process of rehabilitation as she stepped out onto the grass of her enclosure at Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre.
Her incredible recovery was made possible by a change of heart by her former owner. Where once he saw only a resource – he looked again and saw an animal who deserved better.
After 14 years of extracting Nhan Ai’s bile, 80-year-old Phan Thanh Dai decided that it was time for her to go free and contacted Animals Asia.
A Buddhist monk was brought to the house to bless Nhan Ai as she began her 1,600km journey to our sanctuary and ultimately, the long road to rehabilitation.
Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear and Vet Team Director Annemarie Weegenaar said:
“As is common in bears who have spent their entire lives in cages suffering bile extraction, Nhan Ai was very nervous when she first arrived. Her situation is very similar to Ti Map – she’s finding it hard to socialise with other bears and was similarly reluctant to brave the great outdoors.
“Thankfully she’s now outside foraging and enjoying herself. She’s physically a healthy bear, now we just need some of the bears to charm her and show her that bears can be great friends.”
Animals Asia founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said:
“Nhan Ai’s story is incredibly important – her former owner chose this future for her – he allowed her to go free and started to atone for the decades of suffering he’d caused. It couldn’t contrast more heavily with the current behaviour of the farmers in Halong Bay who are determined to hang on to animals they see only as assets. They’ve spurned each chance to do the right thing – seeing the bears only as moneymaking machines.
“It is so, so fitting that Nhan Ai means compassion. From the previous ‘owner’ ready to give her up, to the vet team that rehabilitate her and the keepers who care for her – not to mention supporters willing to donate for her care – it’s compassion that allows bears to be rescued.
Hanoi dog owners celebrate at first Dog Day
Hanoians showed love and compassion for their canine companions at the Asian Canine Protection Alliance (ACPA)’s recent Dog Day event.
Over 200 people with more than 80 dogs joined the fun day out taking part in a variety of games and participating in a dog show where the emphasis was on fun for both guardian and companion.
Attendees were able to give their companions a free health check from visiting Animals Asia vets, while basic dog training advice was also on hand.
Le Duc Chinh, ACPA’s Hanoi coordinator said:
“The whole day was really fun for both dogs and their guardians. It’s not often that people with a mutual love of dogs get to meet and share their passion so this was a great opportunity for likeminded Hanoians to get together and celebrate our canine friends.”
As Animals Asia and ACPA continue to battle the dog meat industry in Vietnam it’s worth remembering that while the popularity of eating dog is waning – the popularity of dogs as companions has never been higher.
International support for Halong Bay bear release
Animals Asia’s campaign to free the remaining moon bears in Vietnam’s Halong Bay has received widespread support from around the world.
In just two months, Animals Asia’s call to action was echoed by more than 100,000 people worldwide who signed the letter asking that the surviving bears be brought to our nearby sanctuary.
This campaign has been boosted by diplomatic pressure from 12 ambassadors in Hanoi who wrote directly to the Vietnamese Prime Minister requesting that the issue be resolved.
Following the confirmation of four more bear deaths in early March, an emergency government meeting was convened to address the issue.
On the eve of the meeting, Animals Asia published an open letter to the Vietnamese Prime Minister urging that Vietnam’s laws be upheld and the country’s natural heritage be protected for future generations.
The surviving 19 bears remain in critical condition with an incredible 30 bears dying since an Animals Asia inspection in November last year.
Animals Asia is awaiting the outcome of the emergency meeting while continuing to lobby for a clear timeline and legal mandate to rescue these bears.
Fixby Junior School (UK) over the moon with their fundraising ball for the bears
Year 5 and 6 pupils of Fixby Junior School in Huddersfield, UK became passionate supporters last year of our campaign to end bear farming. Determined to help end the bears’ torture, their teacher, Ms Priestley, and her class embarked on a series of fundraising efforts and class projects to help raise awareness of their suffering.
They held an animal day raising £400, which they presented to Jill during her UK trip in 2014, and this year have just organised a charity ball, raising over £2,000. We are very grateful to them for their magnificent efforts.
Dr Dog Adi highly commended at PDSA’s animal awards
In July 2014, we put forward the story of Guangzhou Dr Dog Adi for PDSA’s prestigious animal awards. We are delighted to say that Adi, and his owner Miss Shan, have achieved recognition among thousands of entrants and been highly commended.
After overcoming many behavioural issues of his own, Adi succeeded in becoming a Dr Dog in 2014 and, since that time, has inspired several children to develop a love of dogs, particularly one young student who was terrified of dogs. Thanks to Adi’s calm nature, and friendly behaviour, Xiaojun can now interact happily with all the other Dr Dogs in the programme.
Once a dog abandoned by all, Adi is now a fully fledged member of Animals Asia’s Dr Dog team and, accompanied by Miss Shan, is helping to spread our message across Guangzhou, the dog eating capital of China, that dogs and cats can bring joy and companionship into people’s lives and should, in turn, be regarded as friends, not food.
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We hope that like us, you feel that reading all of the above is such great news for animals; especially in the Far East. The campaigning continues everywhere and as a result, the animal movement grows ever stronger, day by day, week by week. SAV.