International animal charity launches animation and petition calling for stiffer penalties for bear poachers in Armenia.

Animal charity launches animation and petition calling for stiffer penalties for bear poachers in Armenia.

‘Break the cage’ campaign calls for a dramatic increase in fines for bear poaching.

Animation video and other campaign content:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dcx3ujv0hk4dtqm/AAA9Iw1HeeedIDxfX0C_4-sza?dl=0

An international animal charity has launched a powerful new campaign targeting poachers in Armenia who kill female brown bears in order to steal their cubs and sell them to be kept in captivity as trophies or tourist attractions.

The story of the bears in Armenia is touchingly told in an animated film commissioned by International Animal Rescue (IAR), created by Northforge animation studio and narrated by actor and animal activist Peter Egan. It shows a bear cub in the wild with its mother, learning from her the skills he will need one day to survive on his own. But the carefree mood is shattered by the looming silhouette of a man with a gun. The mother is shot dead and the little cub captured and condemned to a lifetime in captivity. The film mixes animation with real footage, a combination that effectively conveys the callous cruelty and misery the bears suffer.

At the end of the animation, viewers are urged to sign a petition calling for heavier penalties for bear poachers in Armenia – and to share the petition far and wide. Celebrities supporting the campaign by sharing it on their social media so far include Fearne Cotton, Jo Brand and actors Caitriona Balfe and Steven Cree.

Alan Knight OBE, Chief Executive of International Animal Rescue, said: “The persecution of brown bears in Armenia has gone on long enough. In 2017, with our Armenian partners FPWC (Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets), we launched The Great Bear Rescue which aims to free all the caged bears in Armenia and give them the lives they deserve. So far we have rescued 30 bears but there may be as many as 50 more waiting to be set free. We aim to release as many of the rescued bears back into the wild as we possibly can.

“By focusing on the poachers’ role in capturing these bears, we are tackling an aspect of the problem that costs the lives of adult female bears and deprives their cubs of their freedom. Many of the bears we rescue have spent years in small, squalid cages, bored and frustrated and unable to express any natural bear behaviour.

“The fine in Armenia for poaching bears is derisory. It’s time to make the poachers pay for their crimes. We hope increasing the fine significantly will deter poachers and save bears from being killed or being captured and left languishing for years in captivity.”

To find out more visit: https://www.internationalanimalrescue.org/breakthecage