Fw: Animal welfarists condemn treatment of bears in Japanese bear parks

[Guest guest]

-

" WSPACOMM " <wspa

" Animal Rights Canada " <ar-canada

Friday, 30 November, 2001 23:53

Animal welfarists condemn treatment of bears in Japanese bear parks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Animal welfarists condemn treatment

of bears in Japanese bear parks

 

Action superstar Jackie Chan sends message from Toronto

Challenges Japan to stop the suffering

 

TORONTO, November 29th, 2001- Jackie Chan took time out of a busy

shooting schedule this week to record a personal message of

support for the World Society for the Protection of Animals and

their Japanese bear park campaign. The videotaped message will

kick off an international symposium in Tokyo tomorrow aimed at

addressing animal welfare problems at the popular Japanese

tourist attractions.

 

In his message, Chan challenges the people of Japan to end the

suffering, saying: " In Japanese bear parks, a thousand bears are

in pain. They must beg for food. They are made to fight. This is

wrong. I challenge the people of Japan to stop the suffering. "

 

Adds Silia Smith, executive director of WSPA's Canadian office:

" The term 'bear park' is deceiving. 'Bear prisons' would be more

accurate. Japan's bear parks project a shameful image of

entertainment at the expense of animal welfare. Some of the Bear

Parks need to be closed down immediately. Others could remain

open and continue to enthral tourists by reducing the number of

bears and creating new forested parks for those that remain. "

 

Tomorrow's symposium, hosted by WSPA and the Japanese animal

welfare group All Life in a Viable Environment (ALIVE), is

expected to include representatives of 16 Japanese animal welfare

groups, government representatives and even bear parks managers,

who have also been invited. Featured speakers include

veterinarian and animal behaviorist Dr. Barbara Maas who will

present a scientific and behavioral assessment of the parks and

Mr. Kenchiro Sato, a member of the Japanese House of

Representatives, who will give the opening address.

 

Since Japan's first bear park opened in 1958, the parks have

risen steadily in popularity to become Japan's most popular

tourist attraction. The parks, meanwhile, have gotten larger and

added more and more bears. The animal welfare groups charge that

conditions in the parks are appalling and only getting worse.

Hundreds of bears are housed in concrete enclosures with little

or nothing to enrich the environment save the odd pool of dirty

water, rock or metal climbing frames. These solitary animals are

forced to live in overcrowded conditions and deprived of food to

encourage them to beg for the scraps thrown by tourists.

 

Fights are common and the bears can sustain serious injuries

which are often left untreated. Despite being already

overcrowded, parks continue to allow the bears to breed. Some of

the resulting cubs are muzzled, put into children's clothes and

forced to perform circus acts in shows for visitors. Others are

kept in rows of tiny cages out of view. It is not known what

happens to these unwanted animals, but bear products including

pelts, bear grease and tinned bear meat have been found on sale

at bear park gift shops. Bear gall bladder, an ingredient in

traditional Chinese medicines has even been found on sale at one

of the shops.

 

WSPA and ALIVE are calling on the Japanese government to

introduce legislation to drastically improve these parks. These

include an end to public feeding of bears by visitors, an end to

confinement of bears in small cages, an end to overcrowded

conditions and unrestricted breeding of bears, and end to the use

of bears in performances and a ban on the sale of bear gall

bladders and other bear parts.

 

The full text of Jackie Chan's message is as follows: " I'm Jackie

Chan. You know me. I fight the bad guys. And today, I'm fighting

against something very, very bad. In Japanese bear parks, a

thousand bears are in pain. They must beg for food. They are made

to fight. This is wrong. I challenge the people of Japan to stop

the suffering. Help the World Society for the Protection of

Animals and ALIVE. Help stop the pain. "

 

- 30 -

 

Contact: Pat Tohill, Communications Manager, communications

 

Photos, video and reports available upon request. Some reports

and images available online. Please visit

http://www.wspa.ca/press.html