A Fixby teacher flew to China to help save an endangered species.
Animal rights campaigner and year five teacher at Fixby Junior and Infants School Elinor Priestley embarked upon the ‘life-changing’ 7,000 mile trip to Chengdu with her friend Julie Wilks after becoming alarmed about the plight of the country’s and Vietnam’s moon bears, also known as the black bear and white-chested bear.
They spent several days at the China Bear Sanctuary after raising over £600 for the Animals Asia charity, which rescues them from farms where their bile is extracted to sell as unethical cures for hundreds of ailments, including hangovers, cancer and even impotence.
At the sanctuary, which opened in 2010 and has been home to 140 bears, they met the bears and helped with their care by feeding them.
Staff at the sanctuary also gather evidence on the physical and emotional affects of bile extraction.
Elinor said: “I wanted to find out how I could help Animals Asia in its battle to end bear bile farming but nothing prepared us for what a life changing experience this would be.
“On our arrival we were greeted by our hero, the founder of the charity, Jill Robinson.
“She works tirelessly to save and care for the bears, educate people about their plight and put an end to bile farming.
“Spotting our first moon bear was magical. Even after seeing countless pictures, nothing prepares you for how magnificent they are in real life. Watching them play rough and tumble, clamber up trees and play structures and splash in the pools in this safe haven, after such a terrible start to life was unforgettable.
“Sadly these bears can’t be released back into the wild as they wouldn’t know how to survive, but this is definitely the next best thing.”
Elinor added: “We had special tours around the enclosures and were allowed to hide food for them to encourage to forage. Not everyone can say they have given bears their breakfast.
“We met the vets and bear managers and went into the bear hospital where we met Claudia, the first ever bear to have orthopaedic surgery in a human hospital in China.”
Now back at school, Elinor plans to continue to raise awareness.
She said: “It’s made me more determined to help this wonderful charity to make a difference to these bears’ lives, and all the thousands which still need help.
“It will not be an easy task– obstacles such as traditions, governments, laws and sadly greed and money stand in the way of animals’ happiness.
“But we are keen to spread the word. I’ve held a special school assembly at Fixby and we are now hoping to talk to groups in local communities and at charity days about our unforgettable trip.”
For more information on the bears, go to www.animalsasia.org/uk .
