Category: Uncategorized

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News, Uncategorized

Light In A Dark Forest – Animal Photojournalism – Exposing The Reality The Business Does Not Want You To nSee.
Hidden book Jo-Anne McArthur listing image

Above – Award-winning photographer, journalist and campaigner Jo-Anne McArthur – author of Hidden: Animals In The Anthropocene (Image credit: © Animal Equality)

WAV Comment: 

Every photographer, professional, amateur, or simply casual, hopes that maybe one day, one of their images will have that ‘something extra’ that makes it so special in different ways for so many people to view with awe or amazement.  As a youngster, I can remember one such image from the Viet Nam war showing a little girl who’s village had just been bombed with napalm.  Decades on, this image is one of those which captured my sesnse into the reality of war and what it does to people – do you remember it ?

Or, as an activist, one of my all time favourite photos (below); Watson and Hunter on the ice; stoopping the seal hunter ship from continuing with its disgusting business. 

Or the very recent article by Venus, showing the suffering calves in Austria – Calf fattening in Austria: Animal suffering and fraud – World Animals Voice  – different images which all show the viewer the reality of the issue; often in the case of animal abuses, which are so different to the yukspeak the industry pumps us with; now we see the ‘reality’, as opposed to the spin and ‘happy cow’ images churned out by the trade and industry.

Thanks to those involved with Animal Photojournalism, the tightened lid of the abuse and suffering of so many animals is now being unscrewed and the contents of reality are being exposed to the world.  We thank all animal Animal Photojournalists in so many locations for making our work easier, by supporting what we say and have always said with the images.  Now, the abusers can run but they cannot hide – their cruelty is being exposed every minute of every day, and long may ‘normal’ people continue to be shown the real side of their dinner; or their clothes, or how their handbags are produced.

The lid has been taken off and the world is being educated for the better.

Regards Mark

One of my photos which hopefully puts the hunters claim of a ‘quick kill bite on the back of the neck’ into the disgusting reality it really is – fox hunting does not know the term ‘quick kill’:

New book Hidden shows why animal photojournalism really matters right now | Digital Camera World

New book Hidden shows why animal photojournalism really matters right now

By Graeme Green April 15, 2021

This emerging genre focuses on humankind’s relationship with nature – and these images are not for the faint-hearted

“Animal Photojournalism is extremely urgent and relevant to the issues of today,” says Jo-Anne McArthur, an award-winning Canadian photographer, journalist and campaigner. 

She has coined the term Animal Photojournalism (APJ) for an emerging genre of photography that focuses on people’s relationship with nature and highlights the suffering of billions of animals on the planet from human activities, including factory farms, breeding facilities and animal experimentation. 

The abuse of nature isn’t just bad for animals; it’s impacting all of our lives, from climate change to the global pandemic (said to have come from bats or pangolins in China’s wildlife markets). McArthur is also the author of Hidden: Animals In The Anthropocene and the founder of We Animals Media. 

We sat down with her to discuss animal photojournalism, and why it is so important. 

How do you define Animal Photojournalism? 

I call it an emerging genre, coming out of a number of different kinds of photography. Wildlife photography became a lot more about conservation photography, but conservation photography still excludes a number of animals, namely domestic animal and the billions of animals in labs and factory farms. 

Because these animals are sentient and relevant, Animal Photojournalism likes to include all of them. That’s why we call them the ‘hidden’ animals, – they’re hidden from the public conscience, hidden from the media. We’re trying to bring those animals and stories forward.

It’s also a mix of a bit of conflict photography and street photography.

Animal issues are affecting everyone on the planet. Do you see APJ as a growing area?  

Yes, that’s why I wanted Animal Photojournalism to mean something in its own right. Journalism is usually newsy and timely. I wanted to define it as its own thing and as something that overlaps with other current important issues. 

For example, factory farming contributes to climate change, it overlaps with labour rights, it overlaps with human health issues and with the pandemic right now, which is caused by our animal use. That’s all part of the definition. 

Who would you flag as great examples of animal photojournalists? 

There’s a Spanish photographer who goes by the pseudonym Aitor Garmendia. He’s won a number of awards and won in the World Press Photo awards this year in the Environment category for his investigations of pig farms. 

And there’s a Polish photographer, who also uses a pseudonym, Andrew Skowron. These guys are absolutely relentless and tireless in their work. They produce a lot of investigative work that’s been used by NGOs globally.

Many photos by you and other animal photojournalists are disturbing to look at and many people will want to turn away. How challenging is it as an area to work in?

Yes, we’re not producing images for people’s walls. They sometimes end up on walls at exhibits on the topic. 

But these images are largely for campaigners. They’re for the education of the general masses. We want them to end up in major media outlets. 

That’s our piece of the puzzle, when it comes to changing things for animals. Journalists are out there to show the public what’s happening behind closed doors. We often provide material evidence for NGOs to show the public.

These photos need to communicate a story or a message and need to be visually striking. What is your creative approach and how do you balance those elements? 

We can talk about an individual image or a narrative. Photojournalists are working on both. We want a storyline. We want to show the big picture. 

What’s really interesting about animal industries is that these animals are being farmed in the billions every day. We can go into a hen farm or a boiler chicken farm, and we might meet 900,000 birds in all the barns. It’s absolutely insane. So we want to show scale, whether that’s with a drone or with the wild angle. 

But then we also want to show the individuals who make up those millions. As with war photography, we can relate much better when we make eye contact with an individual, seeing their suffering up-close through the lens. 

A lot of my most relatable images have been ones where I’m actually up-close with an animal, with a wide angle, so I’m showing the individual looking at me, but also showing the context and situation this animal is in. 

Is this photography that’s all about having an impact?

I wish I could hold up an image of animal torture to people and have them say, “Oh my God, I’m never doing that again.” 

But people don’t do that. People are defensive and very attached to the way we do things. I understand that. 

That’s why it’s important to have context and narrative, working with NGOs, giving solutions… It’s not just about the field work.

‘Hope In A Dark Forest’, your photo of an Eastern grey kangaroo and infant in Australia’s forest fires, won the Man & Nature category in Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020. Was that a difficult photo to get? 

I knew that photo was going to be a killer picture before I shot it. It’s in an eucalyptus plantation, so everything was in rows. 

Through the diagonal rows I could see that the kangaroo was there, and I started walking towards the angle I wanted. 

I wanted to shoot straight down through the plantation. I could see the colours and the quality of the light, her fur, and I was thinking “Oh no, oh no”, in case she moved. I got to where I needed to be and she stayed there and just watched me. I took a picture but I knew the picture I wanted was if I was more eye-to-eye, so I crouched down. I had time to get a few photos, then she bounced off. 

It was one of those moments when you want to put that image on your hard drive and in the cloud and back it up a few times because you know you captured a poignant moment. 

Sure enough, other people agreed. That photo is quite well-known now. It has been used and printed the world over. 

Hidden: Animals In The Anthropocene is on sale now

Featuring images by 40 animal photojournalists and a foreword by Joaquin Phoenix, Hidden: Animals In The Anthropocene by Jo-Anne McArthur, is on sale now and is published by We Animals Media.

For more about Jo-Anne’s work, click here. 

Jo-Anne also co-founded Unbound, a multimedia documentary project highlighting women in conservation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Environmental, General News, Uncategorized, Vegan Recipes

Urge the COP26 Climate Summit to Serve a 100% Vegan Menu.

Urge the COP26 Climate Summit to Serve a 100% Vegan Menu

The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) climate summit is fast approaching.

Urge the president of COP26 – Alok Sharma – to set a meaningful example during this time of climate emergency by serving a fully vegan menu at the event.

Eating Vegan Is Better for the Environment

The fishing, meat, dairy, and egg industries are not only cruel to animals but also cause catastrophic damage to the environment. For decades, the United Nations has identified animal agriculture as a leading cause of deforestation, pollution, ocean dead zones, habitat loss, species extinction, and zoonotic disease spread.

Plant-based foods have a far smaller carbon footprint than their animal-derived equivalents, even when comparing imported plant proteins to flesh from grass-fed, locally farmed animals. And a switch to vegan eating can reduce food-related carbon emissions by 73%. Quite simply, eating meat and dairy is part of what got us into this mess.

The COP26 Climate Summit Should Set an Example

Given everything we now know about the devastating impact of animal agriculture on the environment, serving meat, dairy, or eggs at a climate change summit would be like distributing cigarettes at a health convention.

Plants are the way forward, and a vegan menu would not only allow attendees to dine with a clear conscience but also set an important example for the world to follow.

Take action and tell Alok Sharma, president of COP26, to set an example and only serve vegan food at the event:

ACTION:

Urge the COP26 Climate Summit to Serve a 100% Vegan Menu | People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (peta.org.uk)

Regards Mark

Environmental, General News, Hunting, Uncategorized

Asia: Bear paws, pangolin scales: Wildlife trade flourishing in Mekong.
Pangolin scales for sale in a market in Mong La in Myanmar [Courtesy of Chris R Shepherd/TRAFFIC]
Pangolin scales for sale in a market in Mong La in Myanmar [Courtesy of Chris R Shepherd/TRAFFIC]

Bear paws, pangolin scales: Wildlife trade flourishing in Mekong

Investigation finds thousands of illegal animal parts and products at markets across five countries

A new study by TRAFFIC, a group that monitors the illegal trade in wildlife, has found thousands of animal parts and products – from pangolin scales to ivory and bear bile – for sale in five countries in mainland Southeast Asia, underlining the region’s struggle to address wildlife crime and the need to intensify anti-trafficking efforts.

The group says its researchers found close to 78,000 illegal wildlife parts and products for sale in more than 1,000 outlets in select towns and cities in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar throughout 2019 and 2020.

The parts and products originated from a wide array of animals including bears, big cats, helmeted hornbills and pangolins, but TRAFFIC said ivory products were among the most prominent.

Laotian Giant Flying Squirrel in a market in Muang Sing, Laos [Courtesy of Agkillah Maniam/TRAFFIC]

Individual species, many of them endangered, were found to have been used for multiple products. Researchers found pangolin scales both raw and ground for medicinal use, as well as made into jewellery or talismans. The pangolin is said to be the world’s most trafficked mammal.

“The variety and prevalence of illegal wildlife trade in several locations emphasised that the circumstances facilitating illegal trade have not only remained but, in some cases, proliferated,” Agkillah Maniam, a TRAFFIC consultant said in a statement.

The lower Mekong region has long been recognised as a hub for the illegal wildlife trade and has been a focus of efforts to improve enforcement and policy interventions, as well as providing officials with the tools to effectively combat such crimes.

In 2019, the nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency found Vietnam’s “out-of-control, illegal wildlife trade” had helped drive demand globally, and that the Southeast Asian nation was now “the leading destination for illicit ivory”.

Poachers operating in Malaysia’s forests, often from Vietnam or Cambodia and working for buyers in China and elsewhere in the region, are blamed for helping push the Malayan tiger to the brink of extinction.

Wildlife parts for sale in Mong La market in Myanmar [Courtesy of Chris R Shepherd/TRAFFIC]

TRAFFIC’s research found that wildlife markets across the five Mekong countries continue to operate in the open, including in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) that governments have set up to boost foreign investment and create jobs.

Although restrictions associated with COVID-19 did have some effect on the illegal trade, TRAFFIC says surveys carried out late last year showed illegal products remained easily available.

In December 2020, Vietnamese authorities seized 93kg of African rhino horns from a warehouse near Ho Chi Minh City’s international airport.

“It would be naïve to think that the pandemic alone will dampen wildlife crime in the long term,” said Kanitha Krishnasamy, director for TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia. “Monitoring and investigations must continue.

“There’s also a need for strengthening collaboration and public commitment from all governments in the region. The illicit wildlife trade problem here is not something countries can tackle on their own.”

Bear paws, pangolin scales: Wildlife trade flourishing in Mekong | Crime News | Al Jazeera

Regards to all

Mark

General News, Uncategorized

England: It is nice to be important; but it is much more important to be nice.

We get lots of support for the site every day; and I thank everyone for making the effort to let us know they are with us on issues, – everywhere in the world.

Today, an e mail arrived which simply said the following – there was no ‘Hi’, or anything relating to friendly, nice advice – it simply said:

Cesar Millan: a torturer and not a dog whisperer

“You don’t carry much credibility when your article is full of grammatical errors”.

That’s fine – we always welcome negative comments for the site, as well as positive.  I have the following to say in response; and that is:

This article was posted by Venus.  She is a German citizen and operates out of Germany for WAV.  English is not her mother tongue by any means; but I personally fully support everything she produces (in English); as her articles are always varied, interesting and informative.

Venus writes some fantastic articles for WAV in English; which as I say, is not her native tongue.  Wherever possible; and if information (or articles) are from another source; we always attempt on the post to give a link or reference to the original source.

The e mail states ‘grammatical errors’ but fails to inform further on what they exactly are, or if applicable.  Regardless; the person who commented obviously has a right to express their (her) feelings about the article.  Myself; I fully support all the excellent work that Venus contributes to the site; and I very much appreciate that she is not writing anything in her own mother / native language.  Regardless of this; I am sure you will all support me that there are very few criticisms to be targetted at anything which relates to her work.  She is always professional with her approach, spending many hours of her time advancing the cause for animal rights; even though WAV is a volunteer run site and nobody takes any rewards for what they do. It exists because we care.

I finish by quoting the great Mick Ronson; who stated:

It is nice to be important; but it is much more important to be nice.

How very true;

Regards Mark – and please keep your comments arriving; however you feel about issues we cover.

A response comment from Jorge; one of our visitor friends; thanks Jorge:

Hi Daphne,

a grammar consists of formation and transformation rules that make it possible to build formally correct sentences from a given vocabulary (words). Grammars belong in the field of a science called syntactics.

Credibility, on the other hand, has to do with truth. That means, with the relation between formal systems and their models, or if you prefer, between language and reality. So it’s about whether what someone says is true or not. A science called semantics takes care of this problem.

So if you conclude a lack of credibility from incorrect grammar, you are making a so-called “category error”. So much for the brief introduction to semiotics.

As you have hopefully understood, mastering your mother tongue is not enough to understand anything about the world. For that you need a little more, something that you obviously don’t have.

By the way, English is not my mother tongue either, so if you prefer we can communicate in German, Spanish or Greek.

Regards,

Jorge

Environmental, General News, Uncategorized

England: A Voice For The Silenced People of Tibet.

Self immolation is brning yourself to death in protest.  As of July 2020, 156 monks, nuns, and ordinary people self-immolated in Tibet since 27 February 2009, when Tapey, a young monk from Kirti Monastery, set himself on fire in the marketplace in Ngawa City, Ngawa County, Sichuan.[4] According to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT),[5] “Chinese police have beaten, shot, isolated, and disappeared self-immolators who survived.”[

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation_protests_by_Tibetans_in_China

I (Mark) have been a supporter of ‘Free Tibet’ (London) for quite a while now.  I am an animal rights campaigner; but am also a human rights campaigner when I feel it is right, and I feel the need to try and support oppressed peoples.

China invaded Tibet during the 1950’s, and now have total control over what happens there.

The Tibetan people have lost their rights due to the Chinese control; hence the fight, with my support to once again Free Tibet from China and the abusive government that has destroyed its people.

https://freetibet.org/about

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet

“Tibet today is one of the most repressed and closed societies in the world.”

– Senator Robert Menendez, Chair of US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 2012

China invaded Tibet in 1950. Inside its borders and across the world, Tibetans have never stopped believing Tibet is a nation.

After more than 70 years of occupation, Tibetans still resist China’s rule and defy its oppression.

https://freetibet.org/about

YULIN – The annual dog meat “festival” in Yulin is scheduled for June 21st and animals need your voice as part of the effort to bring cruelty like this to an end.  China, despite all its supposed chages to animal welfare policies recently, still do not appear to have control over something which causes immense and illegal animal suffering.  China seems to have totalitarian rights in Tibet, but when dog suffering in XChina is invooved, they seem to turn the other way.

You can support the call to end the Yulin dog meat’festival’ by visiting 

 Petition: Stop the Horrific Yulin Dog Meat Festival and End China’s Dog and Cat Meat Trade (ladyfreethinker.org)

Here is a recent post link which I did regarding the situation in Tibet:

England: ‘Free Tibet’ (London) – Support Tibetans standing up for their environment. Petition. – World Animals Voice

Here is the link to take you to ‘Free Tibet’, London:

https://freetibet.org/

You can take actions by visiting  https://freetibet.org/take-action


China’s control of religion in Tibet – https://freetibet.org/religious-freedom

Boycott Beijing – make a stand for human rights.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is d-lama-tibet.jpg

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are going to be held in Beijing, China.

Olympianism is the coming together and celebration of cultures through acceptance.  It has a philosophy of life which places sport in the service of humankind; its vision being to build a better world through sport.  Its values and principles include respect, friendship, diversity and autonomy.  By awarding the games to China for the 2022 Winter Olympics, the IOC – International Olympic Committee has shown that when it comes to China; it is willing to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses.

This is a betrayal of the olmpic movement and especially the people of Tibet; who now live under the crippling rule of the Chinese Communist Party – the CCP.  The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held freely in Beijing; but witout a demonstration of strength by groups and organisations opposing the regime.  With no chance of improving the Chinese stance on human rights; or any prospect of the IOC changing its decision; it is left to groups, organisations and individuals to make a stand; hence the reason for me issuing this post in support of the people of Tibet; people who’s voices have been silenced for so long.

Prior to the 2008 Olympics, the CCP in China made a series of promises that China would become more open, and embrace human rights.  These promises were quickly cast aside with a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters on the eve of the 2008 games.  Over one hundred Tibetans were KILLED; many mnore were arrested, tortured and forcibly relocated.

For 13 years Beijing has been punishing Tibetans for protesting about the Beijing Olympics 2008.  This year, 2021, Tibet was classified vy the think tank Freedom House as the worst place in the world for civil liberties.  Meanwhile, the CCP is currently committing genocide against the Tibetan Uyghur peoples; with many of the tactics being used against the Uyghur people from contolling tactics developed by China in Tibet.

The IOC let the people of Tibet down by their actions in 2008.  So now I want to kake you aware of the situation and why we say ‘NO Beijing 2022’ until the people of Tibet are free as an independent state (as they were before the Chinese invasion).

Animals rights, human rights; when things are wrong, you have to take action by being a voice.  We are not afraid to take action.

Freedom for the good people of Tibet.

Reagards Mark

Countries involved in Beijing Olympics risk being used by Chinese government, says Uighur activist | CBC Radio

Petition · Revoke Beijing's right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics on human rights ground · Change.org

General News, Uncategorized

England: Hero Police Dog Kaiser Stabbed 5 Times On Patrol; But Still Holds Criminal Until Officers Arrive.
Kaiser was taken to the vets where he required stitches. Fortunately, the knife only struck bone – narrowly avoiding lasting injury
Kaiser was taken to the vets where he required stitches. Fortunately, the knife only struck bone – narrowly avoiding lasting injury

Hero police dog is STABBED five times in the head as he subdues knife-wielding man

  • Kaiser was on patrol in Orpington, south London with handler, PC Mark Woolcott 
  • After tracking down the suspect, the brave Alsatian was stabbed five times and he was treated at vets where he required stitches for his stab wounds
  • Despite his injuries Kaiser held a man, 43, long enough for officers to detain him 

Read the full story, with pictures, at:

Brave police dog Kaiser ‘lucky to be alive’ after being stabbed five times in south London patrol | Daily Mail Online

PD Kaiser (above) was on patrol with his handler, PC Mark Woolcott, when the pair were called to a report of a back garden intruder in Orpington, south London
PD Kaiser (above) was on patrol with his handler, PC Mark Woolcott, when the pair were called to a report of a back garden intruder in Orpington, south London

Top Dog !

Regards Mark

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News, Uncategorized

1/6/21 – Breaking News: Absolutely Fabulous – 8 Years In The Making; 26 Trucks; Animals Asia RESCUES 101 BEARS From The Bile Farming Facility in Nanning, China. Read On and Watch Jill In the Video.

It is done !

WAV Comment – A few weeks ago we heard from Jill that there would soon be some very special news; so we waited.  Today, 1/6/21, we have finally had the news we had patiently been waiting for; and that is; 101 moon (ex bile) bears have been rescued by Animals Asia from an ex-bear bile extraction and breeding facility in Nanning, China, to their bear rescue centre in Chengdu, 750 miles away. Safe now at their new home; free from abuse.

This unprecedented, historic and momentous event has been eight years in the making. It has been the most challenging, unpredictable and emotional journey we (Animals Asia) have been on as an organisation. But we are at last able to share the joyous news with our amazing supporters, that the Nanning bears are finally home.

Our story begins in 2013 at a huge bear breeding and bile farming facility in Nanning. Nanning is a beautiful, mountainous region of southern China.

The new owner of the land that the facility stood on, Mr Yan, was disturbed to find the then 132 bears in tiny, filthy and barren cages, having been used for bile extraction and breeding by the previous owner.

Mr Yan contacted Animals Asia to ask for our help, and there began a tumultuous eight-year journey to bring the bears home, with myriad legal and logistic challenges to negotiate and overcome.

But, today is a cause for celebration. We did it. 101 bears are home. And we simply couldn’t be happier or more grateful to all our loyal supporters for making this day a reality.

The final journey begins

Late on Friday 9 April, we received the news we’d been waiting for: the last permit allowing us to move the bears to our sanctuary in Chengdu had finally been signed!

In a huge feat of logistics, where Covid-19 could have disrupted plans at any moment, each bear was individually moved into a transport cage, loaded onto a truck and travelled the 750 miles from Nanning to Chengdu.

Animals Asia’s Founder and CEO Jill Robinson said:

“We’ve rescued hundreds of bears over the years, but no one has ever attempted anything on this scale before, bringing so many bears home to sanctuary in a single operation. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing Bear and Vet team in China, without the help of the local authorities and without the help of the local community too. But most importantly we could never have done this without you, our supporters, our donors, our family”.

The entire mission took place over three phases between 19 April and 27 May 2021, with the bears being transferred in three convoys of nine trucks, each carrying up to four transport cages.

Each leg of the operation took over 55 hours and was accompanied by Animals Asia’s specialist team of vets and bear carers to ensure the bears were kept safe and healthy along the way.

“We’re so proud of how the bears handled the journey,” said Animals Asia’s China Bear & Vet Team Director, Ryan Marcel Sucaet.

“Most of them have spent their entire lives in confinement. To be suddenly transported halfway across China could have been very distressing for them, but our team did an incredible job of keeping them calm, well fed, stimulated and comfortable along the way, as well as attending to their ongoing medical needs.”

Home at last

When we got the bears back to Chengdu, the real work began! Our sanctuary team has been preparing for the Nanning bears’ arrival, preparing enclosures and planning group integrations.

The bears were placed into quarantine to slowly introduce them into their new life with its new and unfamiliar smells, sounds and surroundings. We need to monitor the bears’ progress and ensure they are both mentally and physically ready before we integrate them into the main sanctuary with other bears. However some bears in one section of the sanctuary have been able to venture out into a specially prepared enclosure.

When we first arrived at Nanning, the bears were in separate cages. Over the years, we slowly introduced them to one or two other bears after getting to know their characters, needs and temperaments. 

At the sanctuary they will live with several other bears, some from Nanning and some established residents, based on their personality, age, body weight, health condition and gender. It sounds easy, but it will take our beautiful bears time to build trust and settle into their new environment and become fully integrated into sanctuary life. 

“We’re so excited to have them here,” said Ryan. “After nearly eight long years of waiting, and a lifetime of suffering, we can finally give these beautiful bears the lives they deserve.”

These bears need a lifetime of continual kindness and specialist care. If you’ve been inspired by their journey please consider becoming a monthly donor to help make every day special for a rescued moon bear.

We’ve just finished the move and we wanted to tell the world right away. We’ll be going into a lot more detail over the next month or so, introducing you to all of the bears who are now happily residing at our award-winning sanctuary in Chengdu and showing you how this massive undertaking was achieved!

Stay tuned!

Please donate to help the rescued bears:

Animals Asia | Make a donation to Animals Asia

Dear Mark,

This is it. This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for.

I’m overcome with excitement and relief to share this news with you. Animals Asia has just welcomed 101 former bile farm bears home to our China sanctuary!

As you know, for years, we’ve been caring for the bears at a closed-down bear bile extraction and breeding facility in Nanning, China, while we worked behind-the-scenes to get the permits needed to bring them to our sanctuary 1,200 kilometers away. That day finally arrived.

Never forget your important part in THE BIGGEST BEAR RESCUE EVER!

You’ve been with us on every step of this epic and tumultuous journey. These beautiful bears are finally home, ready to start the lives they deserve – and it’s all thanks to you.

We’ve rescued hundreds of bears over the years, but no one has ever attempted to bring so many bears home to sanctuary in a single operation. It’s a massive achievement, and we couldn’t have done it without you.

You were by our side through the highs and devastating lows. And your support has been the life force that’s kept us going.

These very special bears are now starting their new lives. Ones of happiness, joy and endless amounts of love.

Words simply can’t convey how grateful I am to you for your kindness. Without you, and the belief you have in Animals Asia, this incredible feat, quite simply wouldn’t have happened.

I’ll be writing to you again soon with more about this incredible rescue, but for now, please see this very special update on how you have saved 101 beautiful souls.

With endless love and gratitude,

Jill x

PS To see more about the Nanning bears and how you made their journey possible, visit our website.

Thank you.

Now that lady is what you call ‘A Hero’;

Regards Mark

Environmental, General News, Hunting, Uncategorized

Bangladesh arrests tiger poaching suspect after 20-year hunt.

Bangladesh arrests tiger poaching suspect after 20-year hunt

Bangladesh arrests tiger poaching suspect after 20-year hunt – BBC News

A man suspected of killing 70 endangered tigers has been arrested in Bangladesh after a 20-year search.

Habib Talukder – known as Tiger Habib – was finally caught following a tip off, after three previous arrest warrants had been issued for him, police said.

He has operated in the Sundarbans mangrove forest, on the border between India and Bangladesh.

The area is home to the world’s largest population of Bengal tigers. Only a few thousand remain in the wild.

Black market traders buy their pelts, bones and even flesh for sale around the globe.

“He was on the run for a long time,” police chief Saidur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

The 50-year-old Habib Talukder started his career collecting honey from bees in the forest.

Honey hunter Abdus Salam told AFP news agency that the locals “equally respect him and are scared of him”.

“He’s a dangerous man who could fight alone with [tigers] inside the forest.”

Officer Abdul Mannan told the Dhaka Tribune that both the police and the forestry department had sought to arrest Habib Talukder for years.

“He secretly entered the Sundarbans and hunted wild animals despite being banned from entering the forest long ago,” he told the paper. “He has been carrying out these criminal activities even though there are multiple cases against him… some powerful gangs are involved in this.”

The paper reports the suspect was detained on Saturday morning.

Bangladesh tiger census data released in 2018 showed numbers in the Sundarbans had risen to 114 that year from a record low of 106 in 2015.

Wildlife charity WWF released data last year suggesting that after rapid declines over the past decades, endangered tiger populations were making a “remarkable” comeback around the world.

Regards Mark