Even pranksters can contribute to good causes. A donor to the Animals Asia Foundation’s Moon Bear Rescue efforts, a man with “a dubious sense of humor”, once insisted on naming one of the animals Bottom so that he gleefully could show friends pictures of “his bear Bottom”.
Less deviously, hundreds of people enjoyed live music, drank beer and consumed a vegetarian buffet to help tormented animals during the AAF’s Moon Bear Rock fundraiser. The annual event took place on February 18 at Delaney’s Irish pub in the Wanchai district on Hong Kong Island.
“People of all ages gather to help end the brutal practice of farming Moon Bears for their bile,” said the AAF’s founder Jill Robinson. “Moon Bear Rock celebrates our achievements, but also has a serious side. More than 7,000 bears still endure lives of agony, enclosed in tiny cages on bear farms throughout China. They desperately need our help.”
Animals Asia has rescued 218 bears from such bile farms. These animals now prosper at a sanctuary in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. During a musical intermission, Robinson spoke fondly of the bears, many of them named by financial donors.
One of those is Bottom, a medium-sized female. “Although her name has caused some degree of embarrassment to us, she doesn’t seem to mind at all and revels in the fact that she’s a stunningly beautiful bear.”
Considering how much her life has improved, Bottom probably holds no grudge whatsoever against the man who gave her that awful name – unlike the “Boy Named Sue” in a famous Johnny Cash song..
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