Ursa Freedom Project: from Crush Cages to Freedom
(March 20, 2009) An online community joins hands and hearts to liberate 9,000 to 14,000 bears from crush cages and end the practice of draining their bile to make commercial products. The Ursa Freedom Project gathers all who affirm the right to liberty and deplore the torture of any living being. Moon Bears and six other species of bear are poached from the wild and bred in captivity for the sole purpose of draining their bile for commercial products. Locked in tiny crush cages on bile farms in China and Vietnam, the bears are unable to move in these wretched conditions.
Bear farmers often knock out the bears’ teeth, rip their claws out and cut off their paws to prevent being hurt by the bears when they approach the cages to milk them for their bile. The bears live in this abject torture daily – until they die. Freeing the bears is no small task. It will take the belief and coming together of a great many to liberate farmed bears and dismantle the bile farm industry.
Ursa Freedom Project begins on March 20 (Vernal Equinox). Worldwide, people will gather for a variety of events from the Equinox to Summer Solstice to engage in doing what they love. All the while, they will be in action to stop bear bile farming. Many ideas for community involvement are contributed by members at the Ursa Freedom Project.
The target date of June 21 serves as a Community Action Day to celebrate the liberation of bile bears and kickoff for an ongoing series of events for moon bears and other bear species until our mission is accomplished.
The campaign includes two delicious Honey Money drives, where small individual contributions combine into a large sum during the specified 24-hour time period. The Honey Money drives are modeled after money bombs that raise money for political candidates. “The most famous was dropped into the Ron Paul campaign in the U.S. on December 16, 2007, which raised $6.03 million in just 24 hours. Nickels and dimes amounted to millions of dollars. We want to set a new world record for this type of donation with the Ursa Freedom Project,” said Jeanette McDermott, campaign co-creator and director.
After writing an article about bear farming for her social network, “ecopaparazzi”, Jeanette was haunted by stories and images of the tortured bears. She spoke with her friend, Camila Aguilar, about waking up from a nightmare unable to move or breathe. Together they spontaneously combusted the vision of a worldwide campaign. To raise awareness around the long ignored industrial abuses of the Asiatic Black Bear, also called the Moon Bear, Camila offered her activist experiences, graphic and editing skills. Jeanette brought her enormous energy, journalism, networking and media gifts to attract people to join this visionary cause.
Money raised through the Ursa Freedom Project benefits Animals Asia Foundation, a non-profit organization with bear sanctuaries in China and Vietnam for medical care, rehabilitation and room and board for the rescued bears. As bears are freed from bile farms Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) sees to it that bear farmers are compensated for their loss of income. AAF gives farmers enough money and encouragement to start a more progressive job, while giving the bears they have farmed a new lease on life.
The Ursa Freedom Project inspires engagement through fun, education, art and community involvement. Community events currently planned are Benefit for the Bears concerts in London, Australia, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and in Argentina, online and offline art sales and auctions, Honey Money drops, fashion shows as well as many events planned by individuals.
“Through local activities and a positive spirit, we aim to awaken global awareness for the plight of the bile bears. Our commitment is to move the hearts of the Chinese people for the sake of humane treatment of an endangered species. We believe a global response to this endeavor can bring about the necessary change,” said Camila Aguilar, co-creator of Ursa Freedom Project.
Many people from around the world and across a vast network of organizations have come together to implement the vision for the Ursa Freedom Project. “Once people become aware of bile farming, they are changed,” Jeanette said. “They see the photos of tortured bears in crush cages and are motivated to end the bears’ suffering by getting involved in a campaign to stop a practice that should never have begun.’
For more information visit http://ursafreedomproject.ning.com.
Contacts:
Jeanette McDermott ~ jeanette_mcdermott@hotmail.com
Camila Aguilar ~ pixlcam@copper.net
Connected Links
http://ursafreedomproject.blogspot.com/
http://endbearbilefarming.blogspot.com/
http://www.animalsasia.org/
http://www.animalsasia.org/blog/