<span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><font><br></font></span><div class="gmail_quote"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><font><b><i>Dear friends, </i></b><br><br></font></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><font><span style="line-height:150%">Animals
Asia’s Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre faces eviction and relocation following an
aggressive campaign against it by the director of Tam Dao National Park, </span><span style="line-height:150%">Do
Dinh Tien<span>. On Friday 5 October, the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) informed Animals Asia that
the Ministry of Defence has issued an order to evict the sanctuary operation
and its 104 rescued bears.</span></span></font></span></p>
<span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><font><br></font></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><font><span style="line-height:150%">The
closure would see 104 bears that have been rescued from the bile industry
evicted, 77 local Vietnamese staff made unemployed, and financial losses to
Animals Asia of more than US $2 million. The local economy that depends on the
centre would be severely impacted, and the Vietnamese government’s commitment
to ending bear bile farming would be called into question.</span></font></span></p>
<span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><font><br clear="all"></font></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:150%"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><font><span style="line-height:150%">Animals
Asia is calling on the public in Vietnam, and internationally, to
write to the Prime Minister of Vietnam, and appeal for him to allow the Vietnam
Bear Rescue Centre that he previously approved and endorsed to be allowed to
continue operations, and expand, in line with the government’s original
agreement. Details can be found on Animals Asia’s website here: <a href="http://www.animalsasia.org/StopTheEviction" target="_blank">http://www.animalsasia.org/StopTheEviction</a>
</span></font></span></p>
<span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><font><i><b><br>You can help us by sharing the petition online to more people, so that we can save our sanctuary for the bear! </b></i><br><br>Please see Animals Asia' s Media Release for the full story.<br>
<br>Thank you and kind regards, </font>
<font><br></font></span><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><font><br>-- <br><span style="color:rgb(80,0,80)"><font color="#888888"><pre style="white-space:pre-wrap" cols="72">
Trinh Thuy. Phan M.A.
Communications Officer Vietnam
Animals Asia Foundation
Tel: (+84-4) 392 89264
Mob: (+84) 914502998
<a href="http://www.animalsasia.org/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">www.animalsasia.org</a></pre></font></span></font></span><div style="color:rgb(80,0,80);font-family:arial,sans-serif">
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