The Moon Bears Need Your Help!
Wildlife is precious! Based in Hong Kong, Animals Asia provides sanctuary for bears and protects those loving creatures from farming in Vietnam and China. The demand for bear bile as a medical substance has put the Moon Bear species significantly at risk. This organization is adamant about preservation of the Moon Bears, especially when there are herbal alternatives to bear bile. Many celebrities including the ones featured in this article have pledged to take a stand against Moon Bear extinction. You can follow in their footsteps with the details in this very article! For more information about Moon Bears, the demand for Bear Bile, and the amazing celebrities who advocate for the Animals Asia cause, please continue reading below.
HEIDI QUINE- VIETNAM BEAR AND VET TEAM DIRECTOR
Can you tell us a bit about the Moon Bear? How is it special from other bears?
Moon bears are a unique species, identified by their shaggy black coats and a gorgeous yellow moon-shaped crescent across their chests. Based on their DNA, we think they are the oldest living of modern bears. Despite this, the IUCN, the world’s authority on species’ conservation status, lists them as vulnerable to extinction. It’s devastating to think that this species has thrived for thousands of years, only to be brought to the brink of extinction by humankind.
What is bear bile farming in Vietnam? Is there still a market for this?
Bear bile has historically been prescribed in traditional Asian medicine to treat severe bruising, such as after a traffic accident or as part of post-partum recovery.
Sadly, demand for bear bile, although reducing, persists in Vietnam. The farming of bears for their bile in Vietnam began in the 1990s to meet this demand, though it was actually first developed in the 1980s in North Korea. At its height in 2006, there were over 4,000 bears held in tiny cages across Vietnam, decimating wild populations as bears were poached from their forests. These intensively managed farming systems deprive bears of every dignity — bears are held in tiny cages, denied regular access to food and water, sunlight, and companionship. As a highly intelligent and sentient species, the suffering a bear endures on a farm is unfathomable.
Is there a plan to replace the bile farmers are extracting with something else?
The traditional Asian pharmacopeia has recognised herbal alternatives for thousands of years. Animals Asia has been working with the Vietnam Traditional Medicine Association to produce and distribute herbal alternatives to bear bile for years now. In fact, in 2015 the VTMA signed an agreement with Animals Asia to stop the prescription of bear bile by 2020. The fact is herbal and synthetic alternatives to bear bile exist and are effective.
What is the hope of Animals Asia?
Animals Asia’s founding mission was to see the end of bear bile farming. We know that we’re about to deliver on that promise, our promise to the bears, here in Vietnam in the coming years. Soon we will start construction on our second Vietnam bear rescue centre in the beautiful Bach Ma National Park. This sanctuary will be home to the remaining bears incarcerated on farms across Vietnam and see the end of bear bile farming here for good. Animals Asia wants this, yes, but it’s also what the Vietnamese government and public want. Kindness always prevails, as it will this time.
What is next for the Moon Bear?
My dream is a world where we don’t need bear rescue centres. I have always said the best sanctuary would be an empty sanctuary, because it would mean there’s no need to rescue and rehabilitate wild animals. So I hope that one day the best place to see a moon bear will be in the wild — a mother and her cubs, foraging for wild berries and safe in their forest home. I believe, together, we can make that dream a reality. A future where wild bears are safe and free. A future where generations of Vietnamese children can enjoy wild spaces abundant with bears and a rich and precious diversity of Vietnamese wildlife.
Can you tell us a bit about the “moon bear pledge” and “raise your paw” campaign?
A number of global superstars including Dame Judi Dench, James Cromwell, Jimmi Simpson, Russell Crowe, Ricky Gervais, Sir Paul McCartney, Joaquin Phoenix, Kim Basinger, Andie MacDowell, Anjelica Huston, Matt Sorum, Kesha alongside with the acclaimed conservationist Jane Goodall PhD, DBE and wildlife activist Virginia McKenna have come together to support Animals Asia taking a big step towards saving the Asiatic black bear (aka moon bear) species from extinction in Vietnam. In order to raise awareness of this monumental step in biodiversity protection these prominent names have signed Animals Asia’s “Moon Bear Pledge”. The line of “Raise your paw for the moon bear” from the pledge is our call to our supporters and animal lovers around the globe to join us and the celebrities to sign the pledge and show their support and determination to save these species from extinction.
How can our readers get involved?
Your readers can reshare our social media posts about our campaign and raise awareness with their friends, also they can support us to build a second sanctuary in Vietnam to give a home to last remaining bile bears of Vietnam. The most up-to-date surveys show there are around 400 bears on farms but rescuing this number and providing them with sanctuary for the rest of their lives will require a huge effort. Whilst the Animals Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre in Tam Dao, Vietnam is now approaching its full capacity, a new sanctuary needs to be built before the organization can start rescuing the bears remaining on farms. Animals Asia is about to break ground on its new sanctuary and is recruiting and training the staff to look after the bears for the rest of their lives. This 12-hectare sanctuary will sit within the beautiful, mountainous surroundings of the Bach Ma National Park in central Vietnam and will eventually be home to the bears who still remain on bile farms.
About Animals Asia:
Animals Asia is devoted to ending bear bile farming and improving animal welfare across Asia. The organisation promotes compassion and respect for all animals and works to bring about long-term change. Founded in 1998, the Animals Asia team has been rescuing bears since 1994. As the only organisation with a bear sanctuary in China, Animals Asia operates award-winning sanctuaries in China and Vietnam. The founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE, Dr.med.vet. h.c., Hon LLD is widely recognised as the world's leading authority on the bear bile industry, campaigning against it since 1993. Animals Asia also works to end the trade in dogs and cats for food and abusive animal practices in zoos and safari parks and collaborates with governments and NGOs to improve the welfare of companion and captive wild animals. Please find more about Animals Asia here.
You can find Animals Asia’s social media platforms below:
Instagram: @AnimalsAsia
Facebook: @AnimalsAsia
Twitter: @AnimalsAsia
Website: help.animalsasia.org
PLEASE SEE OUR INTERVIEWS WITH THE ARTISTS OF ASIA ANIMALS BELOW:
James Cromwell
*Interview is taken from a phone call.
When did you first pursue acting, how did you know it was for you?
Both my father (who actually was black listed from Hollywood at times) and mother were actors. However, because they were divorced I wasn’t aware. I wanted to be a Mechanical engineer. Then my family came to visit me in college once, and they came in on the aftermath of a fraternity party. This resulted in my father taking me on set with him, which inspired me to want to become a director, and I changed course to pursue that. To get more experience in theater I acted in the plays my school was putting on. Directing was more challenging to get into than one thought, and I actually moved to LA to be a probation officer, but instead got an acting agent.
You have been involved in activism about as long as you have been acting — joining the anti Vietnam War movement, supporting the Civil Rights Movement, supporting Bernie Sanders, and being a passionate animal rights activist. Why do you feel activism is so important?
My activism actually started with theater. My father saw a blurb about a traveling theater looking for an actor director, and I applied. When I went to New Orleans to get involved I saw a sign on a wall which said “No Colors Allowed”, coming from New York, I thought this was a joke. However, this was very much not the case, and I quickly came to realize that the theater group I had joined up with was working on helping getting black people the right to vote! I was lucky enough to be educated through their movement and the Freedom House on what was going on, and got involved. We toured through the south and eventually made it up to New York. Funny enough, the FBI showed up at our show to arrest two of our cast members for dodging the draft. I was able to talk them into waiting till after the show! My activism has just kinda snowballed from there, working with the Black Panthers, PETA, and many different organizations.
What are your thoughts on the current BLM movements and everything that has been going on?
I know there are a ton of amazing people in the BLM movement that are fighting the good fight, and that the FBI is probably treating them just like they did the Black Panthers — arresting and silencing them. We don’t hear a much about the BLM movement as white people, which is unfortunate. BLM goes beyond police brutality, we also need to be thinking about how these terrible power plants are being put up in the poor black and brown communities.
You are a long term vegan. What inspired this?
When I was traveling across the country I passed through the slaughter houses for the cattle in Texas. It was row after row of cattle, and you could hear their cries and see the smoke from their murder. At this point in time I became vegetarian. It took me ten more years to fully understand what happens to the animals in food production, but I’m passionately vegan now.
Being on Babe was your vegan turning point. What was it about the film that inspired you to go full vegan?
In Australia the people are very big on killing something and then eating it right away. So, I would be on set with all these delightful animals, and then I would go to dinner and the same type of animals would be on my plate! One needs to make the change in their own hearts and think outside their self-interest.
Is it true you have a farm now?
I live in Warwick NY on 12 acres. I want to have a farm, and maybe one day, but don’t want to take care of it. It would be nice to have a place where the chickens and goats can just have a place to be free and live their lives.
You are so passionate about animal rights that you got arrested while protesting the mistreatment of animals on the campus at the University of Wisconsin. Can you tell us a little bit about this experience?
I basically do what PETA tells me to do. If they tell me to go get arrested somewhere, I do it! But Lisa, one of my contacts at PETA, showed me these images of the research that was being done on the cats at the University of Wisconsin, and I couldn’t say no. They were torturing them with electrodes while testing out a hearing device that had already been approved for the market.
There are a lot of hard working people in the organizations I support, but as a celebrity I have a microphone that helps reach the masses. People don’t realized that all animals are important and we are in balance with each other. We are so cut off from mother earth. If you can’t feel, you can’t see, and we are all blinded by the horrendous capitalist system.
This was far from the only time you have been arrested. In fact, you even went to jail once, what was that like?
I went to jail for not paying a fine from when I protested a power plant. I locked myself to two other women in front of the plant, all three of us were fined, and then placed in jail for not paying the fines.
People in jail wear clothes color coded according to their crimes; so, everyone has an idea of what you are in for. When I came to jail the cop asked me if I was afraid of getting raped. I said that they must be hornier than I thought if they were considering that with me. The cop didn’t understand that I was joking, and then asked me if I plan on raping. Wow, this made me realize how much of rape really is about power. You are either the raper or the one being raped in jail.
I went on a hunger strike while I was incarcerated. The politicians in Albany decided after three days to pull me (and the women I was arrested with) out of prison early (we were supposed to be there a week), as they were worried how it would look if I got beat up.
I personally feel that all politicians need to experience prison so they can see how dehumanizing it is. There are guards who have zero respect for life. I had one experience with a cop who arrested me in New York, didn’t know who I was, and when he found out I was an actor he made fun of me. He did this until I told him where I live. He quickly assumed I was a son of a wealthy man and let me go. These people will abuse as long as they think they can get away with it.
Why in particular are animal rights so important to you? Why should the rest of the world care as much as you do?
Animals don’t deserve to be treated badly. Everyone loves animals, but why do they eat them? All beings are connected by a consciousness. Hurting an animal is like cutting off an arm. If we treat animals better, then we can learn to treat each other better. We have been deaden by factory farms. This kills our empathy for everything. If we can open our hearts then we wont be so quick to hate, instead we can offer kindness. This transfers over to everything. If we are desensitized to how we treat animals, something most of us love, how can we not project that to other races and people.
It is also shocking how many environmentalists are not vegan. If they can only realize how much factory farming is harming our environment. But it is all about willpower. You just have to decide to do it.
How did you connect with Animals Asia and the Moon Bear movement? Why do you feel this cause is so important?
I was called and asked to do the narration of the documentary. When it is a good cause, I always say yes. I had seen a documentary years ago about saving the Moon Bears; so, I was already aware of the horrible things that were being done to them.
Have you ever seen a Moon Bear in person?
Not yet, as I avoid zoos.
What is your hope for the Moon Bear?
I hope they get to live out their lives as they want to or as I would want to live out mine — happy, surrounded by family, and free. We have to protect those with wings so they can fly, and those with legs so they can run.
Do you see more protesting in your future?
Depends on what PETA asks me! Honestly, my body is a bit beat up to be getting arrested like it used to. I do hope to be at a protest on Saturday for the local power plant. But we need to have more Greta Thunbergs in the world. We need our youth to carry this torch, and realize that all the issues are connected. Come together, right now. Over me.
How can we inspire more people to protest at this level?
We need to have protests with a bigger goal in mind. What can we do next? There can be workshops helping to direct people. Think globally, but act locally.
What is your motto in life?
Question authority.
Be here now. You can’t master anything without being conscious of the now, and we can’t be conscious without inner peace, calmness, and love.
What platforms can those interested reach you on?
My preferred is in person communication.
Torrey DeVitto
How did you know acting was something you are passionate about?
I knew without really knowing that I knew when I was about seven years old. I wanted to be Éponine from Les Misérables so badly, my commitment to that character showed me what would be my commitment to my career at that young age, even though I didn’t actually start acting till I was 15.
Not only are you a prominent actress, but you are a long term activist, being involved in Hospice, mental illness, suicide prevention, and animal rights (just to name a few). Why do you feel activism is so important?
I’ve always known that is important to stand for something. To believe in and fight for human and animal rights has always been something I am passionate about. It’s important to find what sparks your soul, and your heart, and then to lead with that. I’ve always found that when a cause hits me in the face that I feel inspired by, I can’t look away, it becomes ingrained in me forever.
What drew you in particular to animal rights?
As cliche as it might sound, to ‘give a voice to the voiceless’, is a phrase I heard that really struck me. Animals are so intelligent, so in tune with the planet and the earth in a way that we collectively as a society are not. How can we not want to protect these beautiful creatures that should have the right to live their lives as Mother Nature intended them to?
When and how did you become associated with Animals Asia? Why did you feel the Moon Bear cause is important?
Animals should not be caged and used for human vanities. End of story. That’s why this cause is important to me. What would you like people to know about Moon Bears and their needed protection? Moon bears are being ripped from their mothers at young ages and kept in cages and then brutally tormented for medicinal purposes that are completely unnecessary. But we can end this, if we all sign this pledge and give Animals Asia the support they need, we can help free these beautiful animals once and for all!
Have you ever seen a Moon Bear in person? Are they as cute as the photos?
I have not!
What is your hope for the Moon Bear?
That they will gain the right to live their lives in their natural habitats and be left alone.
How do you use your platform to effect change? What are your thoughts about using social media to bring awareness?
I think social media can be a curse or a blessing. Being able to use my platform for important causes like this are definitely one of the blessings. Being able to bring awareness to people about causes such as this through social media when they probably wouldn’t have heard about it otherwise is a really special thing about the positives of social media.
What is your motto in life?
Be the person who makes others feel confident in your presence. Be kind and lead with love. It’s not always easy, and there are many days where I don’t get it right, but each day is an opportunity to try and be better than the last!
For more on Torrey please follow the platforms below:
Instagram: @torreydevitto
Twitter: @torreydevitto
Jimmi Simpson
Was acting something that was always in the cards for you?
Acting wasn't always in the cards for me, personally. I'd not met anyone who made their living through art until I was at University. My mother, Mary Simpson, had encouraged me to try out for local plays as a kid so I did realize I enjoyed that kind of storytelling. But it was my professor at Bloomsburg University, Karen Anselm, that told me I should pursue it as a career. I'd taken her drama class as an elective for a lark. I made it my focus after that class. Thank goodness for invested teachers.
How did you get interested in animal rights?
Early on. I hid my childhood best friend's magnifying glass so he couldn't laser ants. It seemed like a woefully thoughtless impulse to have.
You recently worked with the Korean Animal Rights Advocates. Can you tell us a little bit about this experience?
KARA is a wonderful group who are doing an amazing job of saving animals and educating humans in Korea from within. They're a remarkable organization. They give me hope.
What drew you to the Animals Asia movement for the Moon Bear?
Besides the bears themselves, Moonbear Jill Robinson is the largest draw to Animals Asia. Spending time with her makes one realize how much more you can care and give. Her personal story of connecting with a bear and making it her life's work is truly aspirational.
How would you like to see people get involved with this cause?
I'd like to see folks become more informed about moon bears and their current plight. Information breeds community.
Have you met a Moon Bear?
I've not yet. That is my plan for the next year!
What is your hope for the Moon Bear?
My hope for the Moon Bear is that we educate enough helpers to finally and thoroughly end their imprisonement and torture. We're halfway there, friends.
How do you use your platform to effect change? What are your thoughts about using social media to bring awareness?
Social media is a very effective way to inform people about the reality of moon bear's difficult lives. But it is also useful to cultivate a community of helpers, armed with the knowledge of how they can best assist Animals Asia in our mission.
What is your motto in life?
Leave it better than how you found it. It applies to everything.
If you wish to follow Jimmi Simpson, you can do so on the platforms below:
Instagram: @jimmisimpson
Twitter: @jimmisimpson
Images courtesy Animals Asia.
