Pair share rescued bear story

Two Remuera siblings will be sharing their story of the horrors of Chinese bear bile farming in a public talk on Saturday.

Last year Liane Donovan and her filmmaker brother Michael Donovan travelled to the Animals Asia Bear Sanctuary in China to deliver funds raised by the SPCA for rescued bear Assisi.

Like many other Chinese moon-bears in China, Assisi was incarcerated in a coffin-like cage so small he couldn’t stand or turn over. He had a steel catheter inserted into his gall bladder for the removal of bile, which is used in a traditional Chinese medicine.

Bears kept in these bile farms have no access to water or adequate food because hunger makes them produce more bile. This is their life until they die – usually of cancer or an infection.

Five-year-old Assisi was one of 12 bears rescued last February by Animals Asia and was making good progress when the pair took more than $23,500 raised by the Auckland SPCA to the sanctuary.

"He had never walked on grass. He had never eaten fresh fruit. He had never played with other bears," Ms Donovan says.

"Thanks to the New Zealand donors and the Animals Asia team of loving vets, nurses and carers, Assisi finally had the chance to do these things."

Assisi died only a few months after he arrived at the sanctuary, while interacting with another bear for the first time in his life.

The brother and sister are giving a presentation on their trip to China that will include a 25 minute film shot at the sanctuary during their visit. They are now working with the SPCA and Animals Voice magazine to raise money for the Assisi Memorial Bear Kitchen.

The talk is on Saturday from 3.30pm to 5pm at Auckland University Business School, Owen G Glenn Building, 12 Grafton Rd.

- © Fairfax NZ News