Flying in to Chengdu

I actually met Jill Robinson on the flight from Hong Kong to Chengdu so that was a great co-incidence. She started telling me about some of the 170 bears at the sanctury - the blind ones and the brain damaged ones - and as we were standing in the aisle I got all teary - so at least she knows what she's going to be dealing with.

But as she said, "You are not in an exclusive club. We all cry all the time and those bears deserve every one of our tears." ... so I won't be alone tomorrow.

Liane

I arrive at the Animals Asia Foundation sanctury in Chengdu on 1st July. Can't wait to meet Assisi and his friends as well as the wonderful woman who is AAF's founder and responsible for the rescue of many bear bile farm bears - Jill Robinson.

The upcoming trip

Liane will present the cheque from donors to Animals Asia founder Jill Robinson, spend time with 'Assisi' and report back in Animals' Voice magazine on her adventure.

"I feel so honoured to have been selected to make this trip and to do anything possible to help the bears," she says. "I would like to do a video blog for the [Auckland] SPCA website while I'm in Chengdu."

The mission ...

Animals’ Voice readers have demonstrated – once again – that, when it comes to animals in need, they are incredibly generous. In a final tally, our Animals’ Voice Assisi Bear Campaign has topped $28,500 – enough to rescue a Chinese bile bear and meet the costs of its care into the future.

As well, we are going to send an “Assisi Ambassador” to Chinato welcome our Assisi bear to the Animals’ Asia sanctuary for bile bears in Chengdu.

Auckland SPCA Executive Director Bob Kerridge is delighted by the response to the campaign which was launched in Animals’ Voice summer 2007-08 issue.

“Our readers have far surpassed our greatest expectations with their boundless generosity,” he says.“To think that this campaign was focused on Animals’ Voice readers only and achieved such a stunning result is a magnificent display of sympathy for the bears in China.