Jill Robinson - Jaspers Story: Saving Moon Bears

To my sister Anne; to Steve and Nicole; to the inspirational Animals Asia team; and to all the farmed bears who can never enjoy their first glimpse of spring. Jill

To my parents who taught me about compassion, peace, and love. Marc

For Marius Wagner and Jurjen de Haan. Gijsbert

The authors would like to thank Kathy-jo Wargin for helping with the text and Anna Olswanger for finding a publisher.

Text Copyright 2013 Jill Robinson and Marc Bekoff
Illustration Copyright 2013 Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews and articles. All inquiries should be addressed to:

Sleeping Bear Press

315 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 200

Ann Arbor, MI 48108

www.sleepingbearpress.com

Printed and bound in the United States.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Robinson, Jill, 1958

Jaspers story : saving moon bears / by Jill Robinson & Marc Bekoff ; illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen.

pages cm

Audience: 6-10.

ISBN 978-1-58536-798-6

1.Asiatic black bearJuvenile literature. 2. Wildlife rescueJuvenile \literature.I. Bekoff, Marc. II. Frankenhuyzen, Gijsbert van, illustrator. III. Title.

QL737.C27R594 2013

599.785Qc232012033687

Jaspers Story

Saving Moon Bears

By Jill Robinson and Marc Bekoff
Illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

F ar away in the mist-covered mountains of China, the moon sends yellow arcs of light across the hills, softly painting the forests with a luminous glow. In the comfort of this moonlight, bears sleep in the free, instinctive way that wild animals can sleep, stirring only when the call to awaken sends them searching for mulberries, bamboo, water, and nuts.

While fast asleep beneath the blanket of night, each bear displays an echo of the moons light across his chest in the shape of a crescent moon. This pale yellow brushstroke of approval from the universe reminds us that these beautiful animalsthese moon bears, as they are calledshould always live freely in nature.

Sadly for many moon bears, such a life is never granted. On the dawn of this very morning, a truck carrying bears rescued from horrid captive conditions was winding along the narrow dirt roads near Chengdu, China.

The small cages clattered and clanked and clanged as the truck made its way toward the Moon Bear Rescue Centre. Each cage was much too small to hold even a large dog, yet in each was a full-grown bear. Stolen from their native world, these bears had spent their lives in small, crippling metal cages, tightly forced into them with no room to stand, sit, or rest in comfort.

When the truck reached the sanctuary, it was met by Jill and the Animals Asia team clutching both notepads and hope as they surveyed the new bears. They had done this before, so they knew they should approach the truck with caution. Like all the bears to arrive at the sanctuary, these had been trapped and held captive by bear farmers who captured them for the liquid substance their bodies make, called bear bile, to be used in herbal medicines.

As the caregivers quietly approached, the bears rocked their cages and swiped their paws between the bars, lashing out with bursts of anger ignited by fear. Some bears gnashed their teeth together as a sign of warning. Others expressed their distrust by loudly snapping their jaws. Some raked their claws and noses against the bars, while others growled and moaned and snarled.

To the bears, human beings meant pain and cruelty. They had no way of knowing that the humans now standing so close were there to help them.

As the caregivers looked at their new charges, the years of anguish each bear had endured was clearly seen in their many physical wounds, swollen tummies, and missing paws. And yet equally visible in their eyes were the deeper injuries inflicted on their hearts and minds.

But a display of extreme distress in new arrivals is common and expected, and its a good sign to see them moving. Bears too ill or even dying are the ones who lay listless and quiet.

Jill noticed a bear whose body was bone thin and whose teeth had worn down from biting against the rusty metal bars that imprisoned him. There were injuries to his stomach, too. Unable to move in his cage, his muscles had gone slack, all of them nearly wasted away.

Upon his chest this bear bore a perfect crescent of pale yellowthe mark that told the world he was a moon bear. This bear would soon be known as Jasper.

The veterinarian and bear team noted all the ways in which each bear had been hurt and abused. For each one, the list was long and there was much work to do.

The doctors and nurses quickly took Jasper in for surgery, carefully fixing the many places on his body that had been hurt.

When Jasper woke up, he was in a larger cagea safe place. There was room for him to rest normally so that his wounds could heal. There was food and water. Jasper could now stand, stretch, and sit upright if he wanted to. Jasper had not yet experienced this type of comfort in his life. In fact, Jasper had been treated so cruelly, the team was left wondering if his spirit would ever recover.

Jaspers body began to heal. Each day he gathered strength and developed trust in his caregivers. One morning, he began to swat at straw. Jasper was starting to do something he had never before had the chance to doto play!

Once strong enough, the team encouraged Jasper to enter a denan indoor bear houseso that he could walk in a safe, enclosed area.

When he got used to the den and could walk, Jasper slowly ventured to the outside enclosure and then onto the grass for the very first time. His first step upon the grass would also be his first step on a path to living as normally as possible.