[wildtrade] Sun bear education center in East Kalimantan, Indonedsia needs your help! [Animals Asia's dedicated email]

[Phan Thuy Trinh AAFVN]

*Dear all friends and supporters,*

Animals Asia deeply appreciate what you have helped, and make the issue of
saving Animals Asia's bear sanctuary far and wide. And as we continuously
received your support, Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre is allowed to stay and
develop by the Prime Minister.

Now we know that a Sun Bear Education Centre in East Kalimantan, Indonesia
also faced a similar problem: the Sun bear centre has been operating for 8
years, and housed 6 sun bears in an enclosure, now under threat of
relocation.

Please visit *http://en.beruangmadu.org/* to help like what you have
supported Animals Asia. Your support could help a miracle came true again,
and the good things are saved.

Please read the file attached, and the email from Gabriella forwarded here:

From: Gabriella F <gabriella.fredriksson at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Jan 19, 2013 at 8:15 AM
Subject: sun bear education center in East Kalimantan needs your help!
To: Gabriella F <gabriella.fredriksson at gmail.com>


 Dear friends, colleagues and supporters,

I rarely send out mass e-mails, but this time I need to ask for your wider
support.

Over the last 8 years we have been helping the local government in
Balikpapan (East Kalimantan, Indonesia) to develop a world class
environmental education center, which has a large natural enclosure that
houses 6 sun bears as its centerpiece. Increasing numbers of visitors
(close to 70,000 in 2012), mostly local schoolchildren, community groups
and families, come to see the bears in a natural environment and to learn
about environmental issues in our education exhibits.

To date the site developments have largely been funded through donations,
while the basic running costs have been funded by the city government. The
site currently employs 41 staff, 80% of whom are from local communities.

Perversely, at the end of 2012, the head of City legislature (Mr. Andi
Burhanuddin Solong) refused to approve the 2013 operating costs (about
US$160,000) for the center in the budget proposed by the City Government.
He has requested the bears to be moved and wants to turn the education
center into a camping ground.

**We consider this plan to be both a waste of public and donor money, and
contrary to the interests of the people of Balikpapan, who will be deprived
of an important public facility. We call on all concerned persons and
organizations to express their opposition to this plan and request the
Government of Balikpapan to continue to support the KWPLH in its current
function and form. Your support is essential if we are to save this unique
facility for the people of Balikpapan and Indonesia.**

Please visit our website:

www.beruangmadu.org

to express your support either through faxing a letter (examples provided),
or sending them via e-mail or post, and by signing our on-line petition.
Please also forward this information to others who could help further our
cause.

Attached please find a short press release as well as example letters.

Thanking you all in advance for your support,

Gabriella Fredriksson
& KWPLH team




-- 

Trinh Thuy. Phan M.A.
Communications Officer Vietnam
Animals Asia Foundation
Tel: (+84-4) 392 89264
Mob: (+84) 914502998
www.animalsasia.org
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