Letters

From all-creatures.org
and The Mary T. and
Frank L. Hoffman
Family Foundation

Letter from Ruth Eisenbud about Moon Bears and Pandas in China - 1 Feb 2010

To members of the media:

Based on all of the publicity China has been receiving for its Panda bear breeding program, one would assume that Chinese culture has a compassionate view towards all other animals. Nothing could be further from reality.

It seems that all life in china has a monetary value. China receives millions of dollars just to rent out one panda bear to other countries. Therefore they do not have the financial incentive to kill Pandas.

Since Moon bears have not captured the public's imagination and therefore don't generate any revenue, the Chinese have found another way to profit from these unfortunate creatures. They keep them in small and crarmped cages, while bile is drained from these bears every day of their sad and painful lives. Please refer to the following:

http://www.naturewatch.eu/bear-farming

http://sirius.2kat.net/bears.html

http://www.moonbears.org/

The Chinese have also found a way to earn money by killing dogs to be eaten or for their fur, so they do it. The added dose of cruelty caused by 'agitating' the dogs before slaughter is uniquely Chinese (and Korean). Please refer to the following:

http://sirius.2kat.net/fondue.html

While the media continues to focus on the Pandas, there has been no mention made of the real and terrible animal abuse faced by every other animal in China. The Chinese are using the Pandas as a way to present a false view of how animals are treated in China, with the hope of detracting from the harsh reality for all of the other animals in their domain. It is a clever public relations maneuver and the media has fallen for it, while ignoring the rampant torture and slaughter of all other animals.

In essence the media is giving China a license to harm any animal which is not a Panda.

Just in time for the Olympics, the Chinese banned dog meat from official Olympic restaurants, supposedly to not offend westerners, but in reality to draw attention away from a practise that would generate negative publicity. In an effort to portray China as a modern nation, they focused on image and did not address the underlying cruelty of this custom: the belief that the meat of an 'agitated' dog has greater nutritional value. A modern outlook towards animals is more than an issue of image, but consists of caring for and protecting them, not torturing them before slaughter. Once the Olympics are over it will be business as usual and more dogs than ever will be killed for their flesh and fur.

Presenting an accurate picture of animal abuse is a measure which can be taken to put pressure on China to end it's primitive, cruel and backward treatment of all animals, especially dogs, who have been cooperating with and helping humans since the beginning of history.

If you are going to report on Pandas then please also provide an honest portrayal of the situation in China for other animals.

Ruth Eisenbud