AR-News: (CA) No Teddy Bears Picnic: Canadian celebrities rally for abused bears in China

[WSPACOMM]

Thursday, May 20, 2004

No Teddy Bears Picnic
Canadian celebrities rally for abused bears in China

TORONTO-The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is hoping
some celebrity support and a mechanical bear will inspire a little
compassion for real bears in China. 

Celebrities Jessica Holmes, star of Royal Canadian Air Farce and The
Holmes Show, Juno award-winning singer/songwriter Tom Cochrane, Sean
Cullen, star of the Toronto production of Mel Brooks' The Producers and
Dora-nominated playwright/actress Teresa Pavlinek are all lending their
support to stop bear farming in China.

Said Cochrane: "Surgically mutilated and denied the freedom to walk,
hibernate, forage, or find companionship, these unfortunate bears suffer
physically and psychologically. China's bear farms must be closed
immediately. This practice is unacceptable in this day in age."

All four celebrities will be appearing today at an awareness raising
event outside of Toronto's Yonge Eglinton Centre. Also appearing at the
event is an animatronic bear custom-made for WSPA by the Jim Henson
Company of Muppets fame. No Fozzy bear, this very un-muppet-like animal
is designed to show people just what life is like on one of China's bear
farms. 

The bear's sophisticated animatronics make Chewan appear to be a living,
breathing bear. Moaning emanates from the cage as bile drips from a tube
in the bear's belly to a pan placed below its cage. 

Named "Chewan", the Chinese word for "hope", WSPA's bear will be on
display starting at 10 am and continuing until 6 pm tonight. The
provocative display is the focus of a Canadian tour aimed at garnering
public support to end bear farming in China. A celebrity photocall will
take place at noon. The four celebs will join a WSPA spokesperson in
making brief statements at this time.

As part of an international campaign to put an end to these farms, WSPA
is traveling to six cities between Montreal and Windsor, displaying
their bear and asking people to sign protest cards. "Our goal is to
gather at least 9,000 signatures, one for every bear imprisoned in
China's 167 bear farms" states WSPA Campaign Manager Pat Tohill. These
protest cards, which urge China to put an immediate end to bear farming,
will be delivered to the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa later this summer. 

Adds Holmes: "By coming together to support WSPA, we can put an end to
the suffering of these tortured bears-bears that live less than half
their normal life span in the wild. I believe that through our signed
protest cards, and through e-protests at WSPA's website www.wspa.ca,
bear farming will be stopped."

Bear Bile Farming is a cruel practice for which bears are surgically
mutilated in
order to drain bile from their gall bladders. Those that survive the
surgery spend up 
to ten years alone in tiny cages with little room to move.  

Bear bile is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to treat a
variety of ailments from rheumatism to hemorrhoids. In spite of CITES
prohibitions which make it illegal to export these products out of
China, these products are openly on sale in Canadian cities such as
Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. According to WSPA, the use of bear
bile is as unnecessary as it is cruel. There are 75 affordable and
effective herbal alternatives that can be prescribed by TCM
practitioners.

To find out more about the campaign to end Chinese bear farming, how to
obtain protest cards, or to register an e-protest, call 1-800-263-9772
or visit www.wspa.ca. 

WSPA (pronounced wis-pa) is the world's largest network of animal
protection organizations representing 400 humane societies, SPCAs and
other animal welfare groups in more than 100 countries globally.

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Editor's note: In the event of heavy rain we may be inside the Yonge
Eglinton Centre.

Broadcast quality footage and photo quality images of China's bear farms
available upon request.

Media Contacts:
Patrick Tohill tohill at wspa.ca