Hearts and Hopes: Children’s Day with Li Sun and Moon Bear
Jun.1.2011
Hearts and Hopes: Children’s Day with Li Sun and Moon Bear
(June 1, 2011, Shanghai) Li Sun from Animals Asia Foundation’s “End Bear Bile Farming”, along with two third grade students from Shanghai Experimental School, picked up markers and drew Moon Bears to celebrate China’s Children’s Day.
This is the first activity hosted at the school since Sun began her involvement with the organization. The purpose of this activity was to engage students to advocate against extraction of the bear’s biles for use in Chinese Medicine. Animals Asia, together with Shanghai’s Roots & Shoots’ activity center for youth and the School, co-hosted this “Hearts and Hopes: Children’s Day with Li Sun and Moon Bears” activity.
In the activity, Li Sun and the students drew images of the Moon Bear on tote bags, the drawings were all filled with love. The images they drew reflected the students care and respect for the bears. With Roots & Shoots volunteers, the students displayed their strange and clever ways of thinking. On this special holiday, they used their hands to draw images that expressed their compassion and hopes for the Moon Bear.
When the works of art were complete, the students found vivid and realistic drawings laid out in front of them. With Li Sun’s encouragement, the small artists submitted their works which were then judged by a few of the schools leaders. Six drawings were selected as the best, and the respective artists were all given awards. The students were ecstatic that their works were chosen to be displayed. They expressed: “I can help out the Moon Bears, I’m so happy!”
The bear-saving themed artworks will be put up for sale in a charity bazaar. The profits will be donated to the schools Saving the Moon Bear fund. On this special Children’s Day, the students put in their own efforts and skills to help out bear, for this Sun was grateful. She expressed that her greatest personal effort was to make people more aware of the Moon Bears’ fate, as well as saving the bears. Teachers and parents said that this life-loving education must be supported by schools and households, in order to win true liberty for the bears.
Animals Asia Foundation
Animals Asia Foundation, a non-profit charity institute, was founded in 1998 with its headquarters in Hongkong. Its ultimate goal is to stop animal abuse and encourage people’s respect for animals. Its main projects include the “End Bear Bile Farming”, an effort to save bears from having their biles taken out alive, “Cat and Dog Welfare”, and “Zoos and Safari Parks”.
As pioneers in domestic animal protection, in June of 2000, Animals Asia Foundation, signed a historic agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the Sichuan Forestry Department to save bears in bile farms. More importantly, the organizations agreed to cooperate in the future with an ultimate goal of ending bear bile farming once and for all. To date, there are 277 rescued bears, 165 of which have been restored to full health through treatment and care. These bears are enjoying their new lives of freedom in the Sichuan Dragon Bridge Bear Rescue Centre. For the past ten years, these efforts led by the Animals Asia Foundation, in cooperation with the Chinese government, has spread widespread concern in international media and public.
“End Bear Bile Farming”’s Compassionate Leader
On April 16, 2011, Li Sun became the Animals Asia Foundation “End Bear Bile Farming”’s goodwill ambassador, calling on the public to help in protection of the Asian black bear and to eliminate bear bile farming.
Sun Li, the country’s most popular female artist, has always been an animal-loving icon in the public eye. In 2008, she wrote an animal protection advocacy book called “Take Me Home,” telling the stories of stray animals. Sun has always made an effort for the protection of animals and protection of the environment.
Website: https://www.animalsasia.org
Moon Bear (also known as Asian Black Bear)
This species of bear has gold-colored, crescent-shaped spots on its breasts, hence the name “Moon Bear”. In China, the species is mainly distributed in the southwest and northeast areas of the country. Their wildlife populations is less than 16,000, putting them under national protection.
Shanghai Roots & Shoots
Roots & Shoots is an international environmental project aimed at promoting interaction between different cultures, as well as promoting social concern and care for the environment and for others. The company’s basic motto is “Worldly children, childly world.” Its main activities are carried out in the form of community outreach activities and environmental educational programs. Roots & Shoots was founded in Tanzania in early 1991; since then it has boomed worldwide and became widely recognized.
Since its establishment in 1999, Shanghai Roots & Shoots has done many successful projects, such as the Yellow Pages Recovery Project, Save the Siberian Tiger Project, Shanghai Zoo Gorilla Museum Renovation Project. Currently, our projects focus more on sustainable development, such as the Understanding and Friendship project, the Roots & Shoots Environmental Tutorial Project, Organic Farming Project, Green Environment Assessment Project, as well as the Tree Planting Project in Inner Mongolia, and so on.
Website: http://www.jgi-shanghai.org
This press release is issued by the Animals Asia Foundation Bear Rescue Centre in Sichuan Dragon Bridge. For inquiries, please contact:
Public Relations Department of Education
Qing Chen Jing
Phone: 13880432472 E-mail: jingjingchen@animalsasia.org
For more information about the Animals Asia Foundation, please visit the official website: http://www.animalsasia.org.cn
(Translated by WFLMS Crunchy Zoo Language Club)