Animals Asia Foundation
The Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) is a Hong Kong- based animal welfare organization that operates animal welfare in Asia. It was founded in 1998 by the Englishwoman Jill Robinson . According to its own information, it aims to "improve the lives of all animals in Asia, end cruelty and restore respect for animals in Asia".
history
Jill Robinson worked for the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Hong Kong from 1987 to 1998 . As part of this, she visited a bear farm in southern China in 1993 . According to her own account, the conditions she found there shocked her so much that she decided to campaign for an end to bear farming. In August 1998 Jill Robinson, who is the managing director to this day, founded the Animals Asia Foundation for this purpose.
The foundation has offices in the People's Republic of China , Germany , New Zealand , Australia , Italy , the United States and the United Kingdom .
In 2008 the organization employed 24 people in its Hong Kong office, 150 in the bear rescue station in China, 27 in Vietnam and 20 in the other offices.
The foundation is only active in Asia .
Projects
Bears
The focus of the work is the project Moon Bear Rescue (dt. Moon Bear Rescue ) in China and Vietnam . These are bears, mostly collar bears , that are kept on farms because their bile is used in traditional Chinese medicine . Bile is regularly taken from them through a catheter or a hole in the abdomen. AAF is campaigning for all bear farms in Asia to be closed. It is therefore increasingly promoting herbal and synthetic alternatives to bear bile in traditional Chinese medicine.
In July 2000, the Foundation signed a cooperation agreement with the Chinese government in Beijing , Sichuan and Hong Kong . It initially envisages the exemption of 500 farm bears. If a bear farmer closes his farm, Animals Asia takes over all farm bears and financially settles the farmer so that she can build a new existence for herself. In return, the farmer surrenders his bear farm license. The acquired animals are brought to a moon bear rescue center in Longqiao Town, approx. 30 km north of the city of Chengdu , (Sichuan) and given veterinary care. When the bears are healthy again, they are housed in an outdoor enclosure at the rescue station for the rest of their lives. In the summer of 2014, the area was around 14 hectares .
In January 2005 the foundation received support from the EU : In a written non-partisan declaration, the European Parliament called on the Chinese government to end the practice of bear farming.
On November 16, 2005, the foundation signed an agreement with the government of Vietnam that promised the animal welfare organization to free 200 bears from Hanoi farms . In the agreement, the Vietnamese government agreed to close all bear farms in the long term. In 2007 Animals Asia opened a Vietnamese moon bear rescue center near Hanoi.
dogs and cats
The foundation provides funding and training to around 100 animal welfare groups in China that are dedicated to rescuing dogs and cats and other conservation initiatives in the direct service of companion animals. Animals Asia holds conferences for the leaders of these groups to provide a platform for sharing experiences, problems and solutions.
The support enables the groups to introduce TNR programs (catch, neuter, release) for street cats in their communities and to produce advertising and information material for promotional events. Animals Asia also offers workshops and veterinary training for groups if required.
Other Projects
The other projects of the organization, in addition to its own smaller projects under the name Project Asia (dt. Project Asia ) out. AA is promoting the replacement of other animal remedies in traditional Chinese medicine with alternative, mostly herbal formulas. Animals Asia strives to work closely with practicing doctors of traditional Chinese medicine.
Furthermore, the organization strictly rejects the following practices:
- Mass killings of stray dogs and cats as an anti- rabies measure
- the killing of animals for the purpose of obtaining fur
- selling live turtles in Chinese markets for consumption
- Live feeding in Chinese zoos and animal parks for entertainment purposes
- Horse fights and circus events with wildlife for entertainment purposes
Earthquake relief
After the earthquake in the Chinese province of Sichuan on May 12, 2008 Animals Asia helped find, rescue and care for human and animal victims. Dogs and cats that had become abandoned were largely taken up by the organization in their moon bear rescue center. It also housed pets whose owners were temporarily unable to look after their pets after the earthquake.
Finances
According to its annual report, the Foundation had revenues of US $ 8,201,920 in the 2007/2008 financial year (April 1, 2007 - March 31, 2008). Spending was $ 7,399,071.
Most of the 2007/2008 revenue came from AAF Australia & New Zealand (US $ 2,109,389), closely followed by donations and promotional products sales in Hong Kong (US $ 1,963,733) and AAF UK (US $ 1,937,222) ). AAF Germany, together with AAF Austria, AAF Switzerland and AAF Luxembourg, achieved US $ 1,751,590.
83.7% of all expenditures went into the aid programs, 10.1% into administration, 6.2% into the procurement of new funds. The vast majority of Animals Asia's spending went to the moon bear rescue program (86.2%).
Awards
- Jill Robinson was awarded a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in June 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II. She received the award for her efforts to protect animals in Asia.
- In March 2002 she received the Genesis Award from the Ark Trust (since August 2002 Humane Society of the United States HSUS)
- In 2003, Jill Robinson received the German Hans Rönn Foundation's prize for merited animal rights activists.
- In 2004 Animals Asia received the Jeanne Marchig Animals Welfare Award from the British Jeanne Marchig Animals Welfare Trust "in recognition of the outstanding practical work to bring an end to bear farming in China".
criticism
The foundation receives worldwide support for its moon bear rescue, for example from the European Parliament in January 2005 (see Foundation / History) and from the Chinese and Vietnamese governments (agreements of 2000 and 2005 respectively).
The foundation's activities to end the consumption of dogs and cats in China are seen as more controversial. The foundation expressly demands not only humane killing, but a general ban on the consumption of the animals. Opponents of this claim argue that dogs and cats can be slaughtered and eaten in the same way as chickens, cattle and pigs and that it depends only on the culture in which you grew up which animals you eat.
The foundation argues against it that dogs and cats are carnivores and are therefore not suitable as food suppliers: mass rearing is difficult and there is an increased risk of diseases being transmitted from animals to humans. As herd animals and herbivores, livestock such as cows and pigs are genetically better adapted to life in the group and the conditions of animal breeding.
supporter
The Chinese actress and singer Karen Joy Morris is working with the foundation for herbal alternatives to bear bile. In TV spots she advertises support for the animal welfare organization. Actress Maggie Q is the Animals Asia Moon Bear Rescue Ambassador to Vietnam. Even Olivia Newton-John promotes AAF in a TV spot.
The patron of Animals Asia Germany is Alexandra Oetker, the wife of August Oetker jun. AAF UK is sponsored by actress Virginia McKenna and television star Paul Martin.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ www.animalsasia.org: Who we are.
- ↑ www.animalsasia.org Animals Asia website
- ↑ www.animalsasia.org Moon Bear Rescue Diary
- ^ The cast of Downton Abbey come to the aid of Guangxi's moon bears. In: scmp.com. June 29, 2014, accessed November 11, 2017 .
- ↑ Ending bear bile farming in China press release EU Parliament
- ^ Animals Asia: Strengthening Local Groups
- ↑ Animals Asia Annual Report (pdf; 70 kB) ( Memento of the original dated July 11, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Website of the Humane Society of the United States
- ↑ Website of the Hans Rönn Foundation ( memento of the original dated August 6, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Award Recipients , Marchig Trust website
- ↑ Discussion on the consumption of dogs on Lycos.de
- ↑ PDF ( Memento of the original from February 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. by Animals Asia on the consumption of dogs and cats in March 2006
- ↑ Animals Asia's Moon Bear Rescue Ambassador Karen Mok on YouTube
- ↑ Maggie Q's CSA Maqqie Q on YouTube
- ↑ Alexandra Oetker on the website of www.animalsasia.org
