Home » Feature » Animal Planet
Alibaba bans sale of bear bile products
By Animals Asia |
June 13, 2010, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ANIMALS Asia Foundation has welcomed a decision by Alibaba.com Limited, which runs the world's largest online business-to-business e-commerce site, to ban subscribers from listing bear bile products, as well as the fur and meat of cats and dogs.
The ban applies to users of Alibaba.com, which has an international site in English and a Chinese site, and its separate sister operation, Taobao.com, a Chinese-language consumer e-commerce site that operates almost exclusively within China.
Profound impact
Animals Asia Founder and CEO, Jill Robinson, who has campaigned against the cruel bear bile industry since visiting a bear farm in China in 1993, said Alibaba.com's decision could have profound implications, not only for bears, dogs and cats, but for the welfare of all animals.
"We've named one of our newly rescued bears 'Alibaba' in appreciation of all they're doing to end this terrible industry and to mark the significance of the ban. We now hope that other online traders will follow Alibaba.com's lead."
According to Robinson, it was Alibaba who came to the foundation with their decision to ban bear bile, after it approached them about cat and dog products.
Robinson said Animals Asia would be asking its supporters to help monitor Alibaba.com and Taobao.com as she realized it was impossible for the online portal's staff to catch every new listing. "The people at Alibaba invited us to their AGM in Shenzhen (last month) where they announced the bear bile ban. This is a major international group that was founded in China -- that's what makes this so exciting."
Animals Asia rescued "Alibaba," along with nine other bears, from a bile farm in Shandong Province last month, driving 2,400 kilometers west across China to bring the bears to a sanctuary in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. "Alibaba," estimated to be around five years old, was kept in a small cage for years and regularly milked for his bile for the traditional medicine trade. He has chronic dental problems, scarring on his forehead from frustrated bar-rubbing, and his damaged gall bladder (from which his bile was milked through a filthy catheter that exited from his belly) will be removed by Animals Asia's vet team next week.
Robinson said the company's decision to ban not only bear bile, but dog and cat meat and fur, too, was inspirational.
Alibaba CEO David Wei told hundreds of shareholders that "he felt he had a corporate duty to help save the bears, otherwise his son may see moon bears, but his grandson might only see them in pictures and documentaries."
The ban applies to users of Alibaba.com, which has an international site in English and a Chinese site, and its separate sister operation, Taobao.com, a Chinese-language consumer e-commerce site that operates almost exclusively within China.
Profound impact
Animals Asia Founder and CEO, Jill Robinson, who has campaigned against the cruel bear bile industry since visiting a bear farm in China in 1993, said Alibaba.com's decision could have profound implications, not only for bears, dogs and cats, but for the welfare of all animals.
"We've named one of our newly rescued bears 'Alibaba' in appreciation of all they're doing to end this terrible industry and to mark the significance of the ban. We now hope that other online traders will follow Alibaba.com's lead."
According to Robinson, it was Alibaba who came to the foundation with their decision to ban bear bile, after it approached them about cat and dog products.
Robinson said Animals Asia would be asking its supporters to help monitor Alibaba.com and Taobao.com as she realized it was impossible for the online portal's staff to catch every new listing. "The people at Alibaba invited us to their AGM in Shenzhen (last month) where they announced the bear bile ban. This is a major international group that was founded in China -- that's what makes this so exciting."
Animals Asia rescued "Alibaba," along with nine other bears, from a bile farm in Shandong Province last month, driving 2,400 kilometers west across China to bring the bears to a sanctuary in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. "Alibaba," estimated to be around five years old, was kept in a small cage for years and regularly milked for his bile for the traditional medicine trade. He has chronic dental problems, scarring on his forehead from frustrated bar-rubbing, and his damaged gall bladder (from which his bile was milked through a filthy catheter that exited from his belly) will be removed by Animals Asia's vet team next week.
Robinson said the company's decision to ban not only bear bile, but dog and cat meat and fur, too, was inspirational.
Alibaba CEO David Wei told hundreds of shareholders that "he felt he had a corporate duty to help save the bears, otherwise his son may see moon bears, but his grandson might only see them in pictures and documentaries."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
