Hope for the Moon Bears (and dogs and cats, too)

In 1993, Animals Asia founder and CEO Jill Robinson walked onto a bear bile farm in China.“It’s a torture chamber, it’s a hellhole for animals. They literally can’t move, they can’t stand up, they can’t turn around, they can just about put their paws out of the cage to feed themselves.”

It was this scene that moved Jill to work at saving Moon Bears from the cruelty that they face in China. Thus began Jill’s crusade against cruelty to Moon Bears.

The passion and love that Jill has for bears, dogs and cats is evident in the way she speaks about her work.

‘’It is not work, it is my way of life,” said Jill. “These Moon Bears, dogs and cats have done no harm to any person and yet they are treated worse than criminals.”

Jill gave me a glimpse of just what kind of cruelty the bears go through. They are incarcerated in tiny wire cages, with rusting metal catheters implanted in their abdomens through which bile is extracted for use in traditional medicine — medicine that, she later discovered, was completely replaceable by cheaper herbs and synthetics.

In July 2000, Animals Asia signed an agreement with the Chinese authorities to rescue 500 suffering Moon Bears in Sichuan province, to work towards the end of bear farming in China and to promote the herbal alternatives to bear bile. This historic agreement was the first accord between the Chinese government and any outside animal welfare organization.

I was told that since October 2000, over 400 bear farms have been closed down by the government in China and over 245 bears released into the care of the Animals Asia Moon Bear Rescue Center in Sichuan.

“The bears arrive in the most shocking condition — bone-thin, desperately ill and terrified,” said Jill. ‘’But with tender loving care and intensive veterinary attention, the vast majority of them recover.’’

Passion For Life

Animals Asia Foundation is a Hong Kong-based government-registered animal welfare charity founded by Jill Robinson in 1998. As of 2008, Animals Asia had 24 full-time employees working in Hong Kong. The UK, Germany and USA have formal offices while employees and volunteers work out of their homes in Australia.

The main priority is the welfare of all animals. Animal Asia is passionate about ending cruelty and restoring respect for animals in Asia.

The solutions to the animal cruelty problems are never for the short term and neither is the foundation’s commitment.  

“The mission of the Animals Asia Foundation is to improve the lives of all animals in Asia,” added Jill. “If we just gave animals a chance to show us how beautiful life is, we would be better people for it.”

During her visit to Manila recently, Jill shared with us her hopes, dreams and passion for saving bears, dogs and cats.

Jill, who was responsible for starting the Dr. Dog program of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), let us in on just how far PAWS has gone in making sure that animals are treated more humanely and loved as they should be. 

PHILIPPINE STAR: How did the Dr. Dog program start?

JILL ROBINSON: I moved to Hong Kong in 1985, and from the moment I moved there I became severely distressed about the dogs in the streets. There were purebred dogs in the streets because people who bought them said they barked too loud at night, and threw them away.

When I moved over to mainland China, I saw these live animal markets and that made me even more distressed. 

In 1991, I read about a dog-assisted therapy program in the UK. Max, my Golden Retriever, was by my feet, and I thought, “You could do this.”

And thus it began.

I started calling hospitals and disabled centers. It took weeks before I got anywhere because every hospital I phoned wondered how I could bring a dirty-smelling mutt into a sterilized hospital.

There was one children’s hospital where the chief nurse read about dog-assisted therapy. And she gave me an hour, and that is when the program started. 

After that how did it take off?

It was just a lot of people who had seen the newspaper story. They started phoning up and said that they would love to be part of the program.

How did PAWS’ Dr. Dog program start?

Nita Lichauco, PAWS president, was open to the idea when I visited in 1997. There was no hesitation because I knew that it would be flawless.

It was in late 1997 that Dr. Dog started in the Philippines. It has been one of the longest-running programs of PAWS. The first Dr. Dog was Dr. Pako, a German Shepherd. 

How well-trained and screened do the dogs have to be?

You know that just one dog bite and the whole program is blown. Nita and her team knew that they had to have a program that was foolproof.  

How do you know that a dog is Dr. Dog-worthy?

You test it to the limits, and sometimes that is not a pleasant experience. A dog has to be tested for kids who know nothing about dogs. Kids will come running up to a dog and they don’t understand what a dog is all about. They will poke at its ribs very quickly. They pull the fur, put their fingers in the dog’s ears. Dr. Dogs should show no aggression when this is done. Another test is to pinch the tips of the paws. Dogs are quite sensitive in this area.

Only 30 percent of these dogs pass these tests.

We need to do all that to make ourselves appear silly to make sure that we have a dog that is Dr. Dog-worthy. 

How has PAWS’ Dr. Dog program grown?

I have total trust in Nita and PAWS director Anna Cabrera. The dogs that they have tested pass what Filipino kids need when it comes to Dr. Dogs. 

Is it easier to deal with dogs or people?

 (Laughs) The dogs, of course. 

At what age can a dog become a Dr. Dog?

The dog has to be at least two years old. By then their hormones have kicked in and they know who they are.

Is there a way to develop a Dr. Dog?

The main thing is to socialize your dogs. People don’t take their dogs out as much as they should to socialize them — dogs need to be socialized in order to pass these tests.

Take your dog walking three times a day like you should. Get strangers to come up and pat your dog. 

What kind of dogs do you look for?

The dogs need to be very comfortable with people.

We want our dogs to be bouncing into hospital wards. And into old people’s homes.  

When did your interest in dogs start?

Before I said the word “dog.” My aunt always used to say when she took me out for a walk I was always trying to walk across the street to stroke a dog. I can’t ever remember a time when I did not love animals. I think it is inherent.

At the height I had nine dogs and nine cats. But now I have five dogs and seven cats.

Your current brood?

They are all just individuals. I love them for different reasons but when Max died I was devastated. I pick up crippled animals. I don’t buy dogs; I just pick them up. One of my dogs is called Edi, as in edible. I rescued him from a live animal market in China. He was just about to be slaughtered. I paid $100 for Edi so I could rescue him. All the other dogs have been picked up from the street. They have one eye or three legs. I love their determination.

More determination than people?

Animals are so much better than we are at dealing with disabilities and disfigurements. When my dog had cancer and I had to remove one of his eyes, it was like he had one eye left but he was no less happy. My three-legged dog just romps around the house like she has four legs. I have cats that have brain damage so they can’t run or jump like normal cats, but I see in them the determination to get on with their lives.

And people?

We are a pathetic species. We complain about the slightest pains. But animals just get on with their lives. That is why disabled animals work so well when we go to hospitals because we enter wards where kids are missing limbs or are blind. We bring blind dogs to see blind kids and they feel their faces and they can feel that they have no eyes — and the kids smile when they find out that the dogs also have no eyes, too.

How do you keep passion alive on a day-to-day basis?

I am born optimist. I know that. I thank God that I don’t have big clouds of depression. I get sad. In the bear sanctuary we rescued 247 bears and we have had 70 die this year. We had 16 of the new bears die — over a 10-day period. Eleven bears died because they had horrific injuries from these notorious and disgusting bear farms. We have a great team in Cheng Du.

We are able to cry and laugh with each other and I think this is the key — just to be able spill those emotions with people who feel the same way. And then we walk around the enclosures and see the happy bears that we have saved.

I come to Manila and I see the Dr. Dogs in hospitals and I just get lifted. I know that as a person I always look forward to something — I make sure that I am looking forward to something. 

What is it like working with Moon Bears?

Moon bears are very charismatic. If am depressed I will go on the walkie-talkie and I just ask for five minutes to stay with the bears. The bears come up and sit with me and then I feel better already. 

What makes them different from people?

Animals are more forgiving than people. A person would not forgive someone if he was kept in a cage for 25 years and milked of his body fluid, teeth removed and paw tips cut away. Unless your name was Gandhi, you wouldn’t forgive.

The bears come to us smashing their heads because they are so cage crazy. The bears really forgive us. They stroll up without any flaming or burning aggression in them and they sit with us. They are so full of trust and full of interest. 

What are the most maligned animals? 

Bears, dogs, cats. I really believe that these are the three most maligned species in Asia. In Asia, we have dancing bears, bear baiting, bile farming. Dogs and cats, of course. 

Have you ever lost hope?

Never. Not a jolt. I get frustrated. But I have never lost hope. Because there are more and more people now who are joining us. I believe there is a higher power. 

Last word?

I want to see bear farming go kaput. I really believe that in China it will end.

Don’t underestimate what you can do as an individual. You can help animals both in this country and across the world. Look for cruelty-free products. Adopt a cruelty-free lifestyle. Try to go vegetarian once or twice a week. Don’t buy ivory. Don’t buy fur. Don’t go to circuses with wild animals. Don’t go to zoos or aquariums.