Have you ever driven a long distance and felt the need to stretch your legs at the end of your journey?

Have you ever seen footage on animal exploitation and wondered "How can people inflict such cruelty?"

Have you seen such documentaries and wondered "Who is helping these poor creatures?"

Have you wanted to help but don't know how? Sometimes just your signature on a petition makes a difference.

CHINA:

Bears are placed in small cages,not much bigger than themselves, at the age of 3 years old. They will be incarcerated for up to 13 years of their shortened lives.

A metal implant is inserted crudely into their bile ducts, through which their keeper will milk their bile on a daily basis. Merely existing, with ulcerated feet, scarred bodies and gaping wounds from where the gall bladder implant protrudes, they cannot move. Some bears experience severe deformities from being incarcerated, such as compressed rib cages that restrict their ability to swallow food.They gnaw their limbs and constantly sway. Most become cripples as they are never allowed to exercise their limbs.

IFAW vets have found old swabs and rusty metal tubes inside the bears abdomens ,due to previous negligent and inhumane surgery. IFAW have successfully lobbied with the Chinese Minister of Forestry in the closure of bear farms all over China by the year 2000. IFAW have successfully saved and rehabilitated 32 bears to date. A further 7480 require your help.

Your donation will go towards the rescue and rehabilitation of Moon Bears and help to establish further sanctuaries in China. Donations also go towards research into alternative herbal substitutes for bear bile, and funding of established bear clinics.

PAKISTAN: Dancing and bear baiting.

Bears are captured from the wild by gypsies at a young age and separated from their mothers. Their incisors and canine teeth are removed and their very sensitive muzzles are pierced with one or two nose rings - all done without anaesthetic. Bears are forced to stand on their hind legs by being beaten repeatedly with a stick and painful manipulation of the nose ring.

During the winter months of November to April the gypsies are required to bait their bears under the dictatorship of the the local landlords. The bear is tied to a pivot by a short chain. The landlord's vicious dogs are released to attack the bears repeatedly - sometimes up to 6 pitbull terriers at a time for up to 10 consecutive fights. The dogs attack the bear's face, sometimes literally tearing its entire nose off. The longevity of a bear forced into bear baiting is usually only one year.

Your donation will help to establish a much needed sanctuary for rescued bears and in re-education of the people in rural areas where bear baiting continues.

SOUTH KOREA:

Tourists from Korea, Taiwan and China will travel to other countries such as Burma, Vietnam and Sri Lanka to eat bears in restaurants. Cubs paws are brutally hacked off whilst the cubs are still alive, in front of the guests, then the cubs are lowered into boiling hot water. After consuming the paws and meat,the gall bladder is taken home by the guests for further use in oriental medicine or to be eaten as a delicacy. Medicines include throat lozenges, "pick me up" tonics, shampoos, teas, aphrodisiacs etc.

The consumption of bear parts in restuarants is increasing at a dramatic rate yearly. In South Korea the Koreans have exterminated their entire bear population.The rare "Spectacle" bear found only in South America are decreasing in numbers drastically due to poaching. Their numbers stand at 2000 to 6000 left in the wild.

CANADA:

Bear parts were recently confiscated by authorities in China Town in Vancouver. Although the trade in bear parts is banned in British Columbia, loopholes exist that allow the trade to continue and flourish in other provinces, with serious ramifications to British Columbia's black bear population. South Koreans have been known to hunt bear in Canada and Alaska, without the correct permits ,and then smuggle bear parts back to Korea via air or sea. Although Interpol has begun to treat the trafficking of animal parts as secondary to the drug trade there remains a serious lack of direct resources and funds in wildlife enforcement work and of direct field investigators.

ZOOS:

In Japan bears are crowded into small "pits" and deliberately starved by park owners. Bears will often fight to the death over a scrap of food thrown into the pit by members of the public - a welcome site by paying tourists who flock to see the "pit" activity.

In Germany some zoos have been severely criticised for over-breeding their bears. The bear cubs become an attraction for up to 3 years and draw people to the zoos. When the bears have outgrown their cages they are sold to oriental restuarants in Germany and France for a profit.

Among the many activities of WSPA and IFAW, perhaps one of the most worthy causes is their fight to ban cruelty inflicted on all bears worldwide.

Your donation goes to various international organisations to save the bears in captivity, rehabilitate them and home them in sanctuaries. Your donations will also aid the building of urgently needed sanctuaries and animal clinics worldwide.