Dear Friend

As a child, I always loved Winnie the Pooh and we've all had our favourite animal cartoon character. We remember those loveable rogues with fond memories but real life hasn't been that kind to animals.

I've been interested in the WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) for a long time now and admire the work they do for animals worldwide.  They are their voice.  My choice is to help the bears.

The bears are subjected to a variety of horrors! 

Bear baiting: WSPA believe it to be one of the most savage blood 'sport'.  The bear is tethered so unable to protect itself while wild dogs are set loose onto the bear to provide the audience with 'entertainment'.

Dancing bears: From an early age a hole is burnt through their nose in order to pierce it with a ring on a rope.  This is agonising for the bear.  To make the bear dance, the owner pulls the string and you can imagine their constant pain. The bears are herded from village to village for 'entertainment'.

Bear farming: to extract the bile from the bears.  The inhumane methods used to extract bile causes severe pain and trauma to the bears, who occupy tiny cages. Their suffering is intense.

http://www.wspa.org.uk/wspaswork/bears/default.aspx provides further information.

I will be doing a 50km trek through the Carpathian Mountains to see the work of the WSPA first hand and will be visiting a bear sanctuary they have created which gives respite to those bears that have suffered for long enough.  Romania is one of the last remaining strongholds for the European Brown Bear so we need to act now to save these wonderful animals.

The money I raise will go towards maintaining this sanctuary and others and promoting the very good work of the WSPA.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now and please DO pass the link to all your friends.  I'll tell you all about it when I get back!

Thanks

Renata