One NGO has launched a campaign to save bears from the wildlife trade and lower the risk of zoonotic diseases.
ADVERTISEMENTCelebrities worldwide have joined forces with the NGO Animals Asia to raise awareness of the illegal wildlife trade and its consequences, including the current pandemic.
Comedian Ricky Gervais, actors Dame Judi Dench, Olivia Newton John and Tzi Ma, pop singer Mýa and renowned conservationist Dame Jane Goodall all appear in the campaign video, recorded virtually.
They call for a reset of humanity’s relationship with nature in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis and its zoonotic origins.
NGO Animals Asia say practices such as bear bile farming show how wild animals are being exploited by humans. Bear bile is drained from the animals and used in traditional Chinese medicine, household products and cosmetics.
NGO Animals Asia has rescued 634 bears, and has agreement with Vietnamese authorities to completely end bear bile farming in Vietnam by 2022.
