Saturday, December 30, 2006
Merry Christmas! (continuing the 12 days -or 14 here- of Christmas celebration...)
One last good deed for 2006, they say...Speaking of good deeds then, as I was a couple of days ago, I received this today in my inbox from that certain place in cyber-wonderland and I thought it worthy -for once- of distributing...
Right now in the oat fields of Russia, a mother brown bear comes out of the forest to feed. The bear needs the oat harvest, rich in protein and fat, to survive its upcoming hibernation. Tragically, something more than just a good meal is waiting for the bear.
A shot rings out and the bear falls to the ground, victim to Russia’s annual bear hunt that leaves 3,000 to 4,000 bear cubs killed or orphaned each year. Winter is here and mother bears are being lured from hibernation by barking dogs and then killed, leaving bear cubs alone in a dark den with no chance of survival.
You are their only hope>>
If the cubs are not rescued, they die alone or end up as “pets” or circus props.
Since 1995, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has funded the Orphan Bear Project, run by world-renowned scientist Valentin Pazhetnov. More than 100 Russian bear cubs have been rescued by the Orphan Bear Project. Mr. Pazhetnov’s innovative techniques for raising and rehabilitating bear cubs have resulted in hundreds of bears being successfully released into the wild.
Most bear cubs when rescued weigh only one or two pounds and cannot survive without their mothers. But with your help, these tiny handfuls of fur will grow up to become healthy bears – eventually released into Russia’s protected forests.
The rescued cubs are bottle-fed warm milk formula five times a day, massaged after each feeding, and warmed with special carpets. Voices are never used while working with the cubs and human contact is kept to a minimum, enabling the cubs to successfully return to the wild without becoming tame.
The more contributions IFAW receives, the more cubs we can save>>
In many places in Europe, brown bears are extinct in the wild. The bears being hunted in Russia are from the last healthy brown bear population in the world.
IFAW has already successfully campaigned for a ban on den hunting in three Russian districts and they are pushing hard for federal anti-cruelty legislation in the Russian Parliament. Together, we can make a real difference for these cubs and other animals around the world.
Please help now when the survival of these bear cubs is most at stake>> http://go.care2.com/e/R3Z_/cNiJ/GdUA
Have a happy holidays and a great new year!
Michael Lawley
Care2 and ThePetitionSite team
P.S. IFAW currently provides 100 percent of the Orphan Bear Centre’s operational costs, including salaries for the biologists, research equipment, supplies to care for the bears, vehicles for the rough terrain, and the construction of all the buildings. So please contribute today and then forward this email to concerned friends who want to help save these cubs.
Just a few dollars go such a long way to save these cubs:
1 month of infant bear care $25
1 month of formula for baby bear $50
1 week of food for 3 adolescent bears $75
Your Help is Needed to Make Sure This Orphan Cub Survives!
You've let down enough peeps for one year, I suppose - don't let the cubby down too now! I simply suggest to go through the proper channels to do so - go straight to IFAW now - why don't you!
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