(CN) Snoopy's Christmas

[Guest guest]

Snoopy's Christmas Kiss

 

<http://www.animalsasia.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry081224-010101>

 

This masterplan began by researching Snoopy’s favourite treats –

acknowledging that attempts last December to woo her with peanut butter amounted

to failure of a spectacular kind.

 

This year, the research and debate raged for days before Bear Manager

Pernille confidently assured me that the flavour of the month was strawberry

jam.

 

And so our cunning plan was hatched.

 

The idea was to see beautiful, blind Snoopy walking out of her den, into the

garden for special-care bears, over to the reinforced window that separates

my room from her enclosure, before standing up and licking the jam-smeared

glass, which had “Seasons Greetings” emblazoned on it.

 

As Pernille and our " Secret Garden " bear team carefully laid a trail of

Snoopy’s favourite biscuits, I got busy decorating the inside of the window

and smearing the outside with tablespoons of jam.

 

A few minutes later, several staff crowded around in my room, as Rainbow set

up his video camera. A Christmas CD was popped into the player – and we were

ready to begin.

 

The den doors opened and we hardly dared to breathe as Snoopy sniffed the

air and took in the smells around her as she always does. Horror of horrors

– ignoring (and carefully stepping over) the trail of bear biscuits, she

headed purposefully to the edge of her swimming pool and a breakfast starter

of coconut milk and carrots. Our faces dropped. So this is why film

directors tell you never to work with animals and children.

 

For the next 30 minutes, Snoopy delighted in every little morsel of her

garden breakfast buffet – except for the strawberry jam. Every now and then

she would walk temptingly close to the window, only to veer away at the last

second as her nose told her that a morsel even more tasty than jam was in

another direction.

 

 

 

http://www.animalsasia.org/blog/images/s-Snoopy-Xmas.JPG

 

 

As everyone was busy, we decided to come back later in the hope that Snoopy

would finally find her Christmas treat. Almost an hour went by before we

heard the excited sounds of our bear team – Tiger (Zhang Xiao Hu), Zhang

Chengjin and Wang Li on the walkie-talkies telling us all to run back to my

room, as Snoopy had now found her prize and had almost licked the window

clean.

 

This was the sight that greeted us – a truly magical moment showing how one

blind bear survived farm torture and beat all the odds.

 

 

<http://www.animalsasia.org/blog/images/s-Snoopy_Christmas_kiss_Dec_2008_2.JPG>

 

 

It made us all smile to the moon. It is sent to you, with grateful thanks

and big bear hugs, to friends, staff and volunteers across the world, who

have given Snoopy and all of our bears a life of meaning and joy.

 

Click here http://www.animalsasia.org/austin/snoopy-jam.mov to see

Snoopy's Christmas clip. (maybe slow download, worth the wait!)

 

And finally, some more good news to share. In March, ophthalmologist Claudia

Hartley will be returning to Chengdu to work with Senior Vet Heather and

team in helping some of our sightless bears to see. She has already said

that Snoopy’s chances are good – and we are keeping everything crossed that

next Christmas Snoopy will find her jammy prize on the window – not by

smell, but by sight.

 

It's hard to believe this is the same bear that arrived at our sanctuary in

2003, anxious and trapped in a tiny farm cage.

 

 

<http://www.animalsasia.org/blog/images/s-SNOOPY_ARRIVING_FROM_THE_FARM_2_JPG.JP\

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Tonight, as a beautiful yellow crescent moon shines over the sanctuaries in

China and Vietnam, we send you all heartfelt, grateful thanks for the lives

the bears have today, and wish you seasons greetings and a happy, healthy

and very peaceful 2009.

 

Read full article on Jill's Blog

http://www.animalsasia.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry081224-010101