Animals Asia is devoted to ending the barbaric practice of bear bile farming and improving the welfare of animals across Asia. We promote compassion and respect for all animals and work to bring about long-term change.
The Animals Asia team has been rescuing bears since 1994 and is the only organisation with a bear sanctuary in China and Vietnam. Our founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE, Dr.med.vet. h.c., Hon LLD, is widely recognised as the world’s leading expert on the cruel bear bile industry, having campaigned against it since 1993.
Our work focuses on three major programmes:
End Bear Bile Farming
Animals Asia works to end the barbaric bear bile trade, which sees over 10,000 bears – mainly moon bears but also sun bears and brown bears – kept on bile farms in China, and around 2,400 in Vietnam.
Cat and Dog Welfare
Animals Asia works to end the trade in dogs and cats for food in China, and collaborates with governments and NGO's to improve the welfare of companion animals and promote humane population management.
Captive Animal Welfare
Animals Asia campaigns for an end to abusive animal practices in zoos and safari parks in Southeast Asia, and works closely with governing authorities to improve animal management and increase awareness of the welfare needs of captive animals.
Based in Chengdu, Suki works to end cat and dog eating and related trade in China, and lobbies to improve the lives of cats and dogs through the promotion of Animals Asia's China-based Cat and Dog Welfare programme.
Suki collaborates extensively with the authorities and animal welfare groups. She also organises nationwide public awareness events, drives our animal-therapy projects, Dr Dog and Professor Paws, and makes judicious use of the media and the internet to promote our campaigns, and to spread the message far and wide that “Cats and dogs are our friends, not food.”
Suki and her team are also bringing about long-term change, and improving cat and dog welfare by promoting trap, neuter, release programmes for stray cats, and humane dog ownership management across China.
Animals Asia’s work to improve cat and dog welfare focuses on five key areas:
Empowering local groups
We provide funding and training to around more than 150 animal welfare groups in China that rescue dogs and cats and undertake other welfare initiatives that directly help companion animals.
Humane population management
We promote humane population management and disease-control measures by running symposiums and providing funds and training for TNR (trap, neuter, release) programmes for street cats.
The meat trade
We conduct investigations into live animal markets, dog slaughterhouses and restaurants across China to catalogue abuse and inform the government and public of the cruelty, illegality and human health concerns surrounding the industry.
Public awareness
We run extensive public awareness campaigns on cat and dog issues and use a number of innovative methods to spread the message that dogs and cats are our friends not food.
Government and policy
We engage with government authorities, public representatives and policy-makers in China to support an end to dog and cat eating and to build support for laws that will protect companion animals from cruelty.