Save the moon bears
From Lynne O’Donnell
Sir: Paul Johnson’s article (And another thing, 19 February) does not present the whole story of China’s moon bears. During a long stint as a correspondent in China, I investigated Animals Asia Foundation’s activities in Sichuan and came to the conclusion that the organisation is deeply misguided if it believes that working in tandem with the Chinese regime is helping to save the moon bear from extinction. In fact, it is doing more harm than good.
There can be no denying that AAF has rescued some bears from the cruel conditions in which they had been kept in southwestern China. But to do so the organisation entered into agreements with the Chinese authorities, accepting assurances that farms were being closed down without being permitted to investigate and verify these claims. AAF also paid farmers a bounty for the bears that arrived at its Sichuan property, thus creating a market for the animals.
The stockpile of Chinese bear bile is growing, and animal welfare specialists say the Chinese authorities are working hard behind the scenes to have the moon bear delisted as an endangered species, based on the numbers now in captivity.
Once that has been achieved, the next step is to begin exports of bear bile products — which not only include bogus medicines, but such frivolous consumer items as teas and shampoos. Bear bile has been an ingredient of traditional Chinese medicine for a relatively short time, and any claim to include it in the ancient pharmacopoeia is as false as saying that it alleviates liver cancer and short-sightedness.
AAF may help individual bears, but it is doing great damage to the species as a whole.
Lynne O’Donnell London E14
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